Human-Recognizable Robotic Gestures

TL;DR

This study identifies robotic gestures that humans can accurately recognize, highlighting key non-verbal cues for improving human-robot interaction and communication.

Contribution

The paper presents a web-based study identifying six robotic gestures that are reliably interpreted by humans, informing social robot design.

Findings

Six gestures (nodding, clapping, hugging, expressing anger, walking, flying) are accurately recognized by humans.

Reviewed gestures' meanings in human and animal behavior literature.

Implications for designing socially engaging robots.

Abstract

For robots to be accommodated in human spaces and in humans daily activities, robots should be able to understand messages from the human conversation partner. In the same light, humans must also understand the messages that are being communicated by robots, including the non-verbal ones. We conducted a web-based video study wherein participants gave interpretations on the iconic gestures and emblems that were produced by an anthropomorphic robot. Out of the 15 gestures presented, we found 6 robotic gestures that can be accurately recognized by the human observer. These were nodding, clapping, hugging, expressing anger, walking, and flying. We reviewed these gestures for their meaning from literatures in human and animal behavior. We conclude by discussing the possible implications of these gestures for the design of social robots that are aimed to have engaging interactions with humans.