Human-Recognizable Robotic Gestures

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