A robust integrated system for selecting and commanding multiple mobile robots

We describe a system whereby multiple humans and mobile robots interact robustly using a combination of sensing and signalling modalities. Extending our previous work on selecting an individual robot from a population by face-engagement, we show that reaching toward a robot - a specialization of pointing - can be used to designate a particular robot for subsequent one-on-one interaction. To achieve robust operation despite frequent sensing problems, the robots use three phases of human detection and tracking, and emit audio cues to solicit interaction and guide the behaviour of the human. A series of real-world trials demonstrates the practicality of our approach.