The role of successful human-robot interaction on trust -- Findings of an experiment with an autonomous cooperative robot

Abstract

The foundation of this paper is an experiment of fifteen participants interacting directly with an autonomous robot. The task for the participants was to carry a table, in two different setups, together with a robot, which is intended to support older people with heavy lifting tasks. By collecting and analyzing observational, quantitative, and qualitative data the interaction was investigated with a specific emphasis on trust in the robot. The overall aim was a better understanding of people's emotional and evaluative reactions when they engage with a functioning robot in a relatable everyday scenario. This study shows that successful cooperative task completion has a positive effect on trust and other related evaluations, like the perceived adaptiveness regarding the robot's behavior.