Collaborative Research: DHB: Human Dynamics of Robot-Supported Collaborative Work

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This is a project to understand and test theories of how three aspects of human-robot interaction independently and interactively affect collaborative work: robot social behavior, mutual understanding in human-robot communication, and the impact of robotic assistants on group dynamics. With advances in computing technology and artificial intelligence, autonomous robots are becoming viable in such critical domains as search and rescue, military battle, mine and bomb detection, scientific exploration, law enforcement, and hospital care. Robotic assistants ranging from museum guides to forestry scouts are being developed to interact with people "in person" or remotely, as agents that collaborate with the work team. This project is targeted at little understood but critical aspects of robot-supported collaborative work. The research involves three kinds of studies: (1) fundamental laboratory research on behavioral characteristics of robots performing social tasks, especially as these characteristics reflect lifelikeness, (2) controlled experiments and field studies of interpersonal communication and the development of mutual understanding between robot and human, and (3) studies of robots in work groups. The studies are designed to motivate and test theory, as well as to explore both direct and secondary or indirect social effects of robot-supported collaborative work. The fieldwork will be carried out in hospitals and scientific exploration settings. This research will advance our understanding of the possibilities and problems of mutual adaptation in human-robot interaction over time, and will help us anticipate changes in the group dynamics of collaborative work. It also will extend our basic knowledge of communication and group dynamics in environments that incorporate robotic technology. It will improve our ability to make principled design decisions about robots that work with people, and better understand the societal impact of robots. In particular, this research will give us a foundation for understanding and designing collaborative work with robots in critical environments like mines, hospitals, households with elderly or disabled residents, in challenging scientific settings, and in situations in which the robot is remote. The work also will contribute to public and student awareness of the human side of robotics, and help motivate students' interests in science and engineering.