Special issue on robot and human interactive communication

Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

We are developing a social robot to help children cope with painful and distressing medical procedures in the hospital emergency department. This is a domain where a range of interventions have proven effective at reducing pain and distress, including social robots; however, until now, the robots have been designed with limited stakeholder involvement and have shown limited autonomy. For our system, we have defined and validated the necessary robot behaviour together with children, parents/caregivers, and healthcare professionals, taking into account the ethical and social implications of robotics and AI in the paediatric healthcare context. The result of the co-design process has been captured in a flowchart, which has been converted into a set of concrete design guidelines for the AI-based autonomous robot system. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → Children; • Human-centered computing → Participatory design; • Computer systems organization → Robotics.

Applied Sciences

Hospital environments are facing new challenges this century. One of the most important is the quality of services to patients. Social robots are gaining prominence due to the advantages they offer; in particular, several of their main uses have proven beneficial during the pandemic. This study aims to shed light on the current status of the design of social robots and their interaction with patients. To this end, a systematic review was conducted using WoS and MEDLINE, and the results were exhaustive analyzed. The authors found that most of the initiatives and projects serve the elderly and children, and specifically, that they helped these groups fight diseases such as dementia, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cancer, and diabetes.

2020

The Controlled Autonomous Robot for Early detection and Rehabilitation of Autism and Intellectual Disability (CARER-AID) project aimed at verifying the effects of the introduction of a humanoid robot in the clinical routine as a supervised autonomous assistant to support clinical staff in the care of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) associated with Intellectual Disability (ID). The CARER-AID project was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team composed of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics and clinical psychologists experienced in the treatment of ID. The literature shows that children with ASD seem to prefer robotic devices over non-robotic instruments and indeed humans. Starting from this, CARER-AID clinical studies provided experimental evidence that demonstrated several potential benefits of robot-assisted therapy when treating children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ASD with or without ID. Alongside the study in a clinical setting, the proj...

Proceedings of the IEEE, 2004

Recent research shows that people perceive and treat robots not just as machines, but also as their companions or artificial partners. Person-robot communication, viewed as a complex interactive system (CIS), is based upon three basic principles: interactivity, equifinality, and multimodality. Classification of artificial creatures from the robopsychologist's point of view divides them into two major groups: assisting robots, which are oriented toward industrial, military, research, medical, and service activities, and interactive stimulation robots, which are designed for social, educational, rehabilitation, therapeutic, and entertainment purposes. The latter class is considered the primary subject for the robotic psychology and robotherapy, approaches that have been developed by the authors. These new fields consist of a concept that places the relationships between humans and robots into a psychological, rather than technological, context. Conceptual and experimental results of implementing the robotic psychology and robotherapy concept into the study of human-robot interactions concern basic operational definitions, theoretical framework, and the design of a unified assessment tool named the Person-Robot Complex Interactive Scale (PRCIS). A study with a robotic cat provides the first results of cross-cultural analysis of person-robot communication, as well as findings on the robot's use by children, young and older adults, and elderly persons with dementia.

Proceedings of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

International Journal of Information Engineering and Electronic Business, 2017

In general, the applications of robots have shifted rapidly from industrial uses to social uses. This provides robots with the ability to naturally interact with human beings and socially fit into the human environment. The deployment of social robots in the healthcare system is becoming extensive as a result of the shortage of healthcare professionals, rising costs of healthcare and the exponential growth in the number of vulnerable populations such as the sick, the aged and children with developmental disabilities. Consequently, social robots are used in healthcare for providing health education and entertainment for patients in the hospital and for providing aids for the sick and aged. They are also used for dispensing drugs and providing rehabilitation as well as emotional and aging care. Hence, social robots improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. The interaction between social robots and human beings is known as human-robot interaction. Human-robot interaction in healthcare is faced with numerous challenges such as the fear of displacement of caregivers by robots, safety, usefulness, acceptability as well as appropriateness. These challenges ultimately lead to a low rate of acceptance of the robotic technology. Consequently, this paper extensively appraises humanrobot interaction in healthcare, their applications and challenges. Design, ethical and usability issues such as privacy, trust, safety, users' attitude, culture, robot morphology as well as emotions and deception arising from the interaction between humans and robots in healthcare are also reviewed in this paper.

Current Robotics Reports, 2021

Purpose of Review: We provide an outlook on the definitions, laboratory research, and applications of social robots, with an aim to understand what makes a robot social-in the eyes of science and the general public. Recent Findings: Social robots demonstrate their potential when deployed within contexts appropriate to their form and functions. Some examples include companions for the elderly and cognitively impaired individuals, robots within educational settings, and as tools to support cognitive and behavioural change interventions. Summary: Science fiction has inspired us to conceive of a future with autonomous robots helping with every aspect of our daily lives, although the robots we are familiar with through film and literature remain a vision of the distant future. While there are still miles to go before robots become a regular feature within our social spaces, rapid progress in social robotics research, aided by the social sciences, is helping to move us closer to this reality.

2014

We present a design case focusing on participatory design (PD) with older people. We experimented with PD techniques to foster engagement with participants in development of a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling a robotic system in a smart home environment. The tenet of our approach is that to engage older people in the design of future systems, it is of paramount importance to increment and reinforce knowledge using different techniques and materials, and to create an empathic and trusted relationship between participants and designers. We experimented with different techniques for achieving this, from videobased scenario evaluation to hands-on and gaming activity in which participants had to evaluate the dynamics of a context-dependent interface using an expression-rich modality of interaction. This permitted exploration of experiential elements of design, to reduce the need for the participants to engage in abstract thought and to collect insights on design solutions w...

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 2023

This research paper delves into the multifaceted realm of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, amalgamating insights from psychology, technology, and neuroscience. From a psychological perspective, the study examines human responses to robots, considering factors like trust, empathy, and acceptance. It investigates how individual differences and cultural influences shape attitudes and behaviors in HRI scenarios. This psychological exploration forms a basis for designing robots aligned with human cognitive and emotional processes. The technological facet scrutinizes current robotic technology, dissecting the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and sensorimotor capabilities. The analysis covers robot design, user interfaces, and evolving functionalities, contributing to an understanding of how robot capabilities influence user experiences and societal integration. The research further explores the neurological dimension, investigating brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neurofeedback mechanisms facilitating direct communication between humans and robots. By probing the neural correlates of human perception during HRI, the study aims to unravel the physiological aspects underlying human responses to robots. By synthesizing findings from psychology, technology, and neuroscience, the research seeks a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between humans and robots. This interdisciplinary approach bridges gaps between traditionally distinct fields, fostering a holistic comprehension of HRI. The insights gained contribute to the development of technologically advanced robots attuned to human needs. The research extends its implications to the ethical and social dimensions of HRI. By unraveling human perceptions and responses to robots, it forms a foundation for ethical guidelines governing robot deployment. The synthesis of psychological, technological, and neurological perspectives aids in understanding the social impact of robots, contributing to discussions on the ethical use of robotic technologies. As the field of HRI evolves, this research offers a roadmap for future endeavors, encouraging ongoing discourse on the evolving relationship between humans and robots. It serves as a stepping stone for further exploration, informing the responsible development and deployment of robotic technologies in diverse societal contexts.

Proceedings of the ICTs for improving Patients Rehabilitation Research Techniques, 2013

Exploiting the use-dependent plasticity of our neuromuscular system, neuro-rehabilitation therapies are devised to help patients that suffer from injuries or diseases in this system, such as those caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years of life (e.g. due to cerebral palsy or obstetric brachial plexus palsy). These therapies take advantage of the fact that the motor activity alters the properties of our neurons and muscles, including the pattern of their connectivity, and thus their functionality. Hence, a sensor-motor treatment where the patient makes certain movements, will help her to (re)learn how to move the affected body parts. But this traditional rehabilitation processes come at a cost: therapies are usually repetitive and lengthy, reducing motivation and adherence to the treatment and thus limiting the benefits for the patients. This paper describes the motivation, experiences and current efforts towards the final development of THERAPIST, a socially interactive robot for neuro-rehabilitation assistance. Our starting hypothesis was that patients could get consistently engaged in a therapeutic non-physical interaction with a robot, facilitating the design of new therapies that should improve the patient recovery time and reduce the overall socio-economic costs. This hypothesis was validated by our initial experimental studies, which showed that pediatric patients can be easily driven into highly attentive and collaborating attitudes by letting them interact with a robot. However, in order to be safe and robust, this robot was teleoperated, requiring a great effort on supervision from clinic professionals. The development of a real socially interactive robot will require the intersection of multiple challenging directions of research that we are currently exploring.