ITR/PE: Cognitive and Social Design of Robotic Assistants

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Soon, autonomous mobile robots will be used in settings such as elderly communities, schools, and hospitals to carry out intelligent but "unskilled" tasks such as delivering food or teaching calisthenics. Humans are integral in these systems-as operators, as users, and as people who live and work where robots are employed. This proposal targets critical questions of human-robot interaction, and of robotic assistants in personal and work settings. The research involves experiments on mental models of robots and robotic assistants, ethnographic design research, and organizational field research. The initial research will aim at design of appropriate roles, tasks, and interactions of robotic assistants in elderly environments. Later research will address other domains for using assistive robots. This research builds on cognitive and social psychology, and design. The research will contribute to theory on people's interactions with robots, facilitate useful and graceful interactions between people and robotic assistants, and advance robotic technology and dialogue on ethical issues surrounding deployment of life-like robots. The research team is highly multidisciplinary. This project will address major NSF concerns including: bringing technology to bear for special populations, extending human capabilities, using technology for collective work, and integrating technology into social contexts.