Robots with Different Embodiments Can Express and Influence Carefulness in Object Manipulation

TL;DR

This study explores how robots with different physical forms can communicate careful handling of objects through their movements, influencing human perception and subsequent manipulation behavior.

Contribution

It demonstrates that robot movements can effectively convey carefulness, affecting human perception and motor adaptation, with insights into motion features that influence perceived carefulness.

Findings

Humans correctly perceive robot communicated carefulness.

Robot communication influences human motor adaptation.

Motion features affect perceived carefulness.

Abstract

Humans have an extraordinary ability to communicate and read the properties of objects by simply watching them being carried by someone else. This level of communicative skills and interpretation, available to humans, is essential for collaborative robots if they are to interact naturally and effectively. For example, suppose a robot is handing over a fragile object. In that case, the human who receives it should be informed of its fragility in advance, through an immediate and implicit message, i.e., by the direct modulation of the robot's action. This work investigates the perception of object manipulations performed with a communicative intent by two robots with different embodiments (an iCub humanoid robot and a Baxter robot). We designed the robots' movements to communicate carefulness or not during the transportation of objects. We found that not only this feature is correctly perceived by human observers, but it can elicit as well a form of motor adaptation in subsequent human object manipulations. In addition, we get an insight into which motion features may induce to manipulate an object more or less carefully.