How Would You Describe Assistive Robots to People Who are Blind or Low Vision?

Abstract

Assistive robots can enhance the safety, efficiency, and independence of people who are blind or low vision (B/LV) during urban travel. However, a clear understanding is still lacking in how best to introduce and describe an assistive robot to B/LV persons in a way that facilitates effective human-robot interaction. The goal of this study was to understand how different people would describe an assistive robot to a B/LV traveler. Our preliminary results showed that participants described the robot in a similar order (i.e. robot's appearance, function, and capability in order); however, they had different focuses on their descriptions. This pilot study will lead to better descriptions of assistive robots to B/LV users, supporting more effective interaction in our future real-world deployment works.