Enhancing Human-Robot Interaction Research by Using a Virtual Reality Lab Approach

Human-robot interaction (HRI) research often faces limitations in real-world environments due to uncontrollable external factors. This applies in particular to field study setups in public spaces, as these can limit the validity of the study results, e.g. due to unpredictable and unsystematic changes in the environment, noise, people passing, etc. Especially for interdisciplinary studies involving psychological perspectives, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising solution, offering realistic, controlled, and reproducible environments. Also, recent technological advancements enable detailed observation of human behavior and physiological responses via eye tracking, physiological assessments, and motion capture. To effectively add value by using VR as a tool, immersion, and presence in the virtual environment are essential preconditions. Besides, the manipulability of the VR environment during runtime is a bonus in exploring human behavior in interaction with robot-enriched spaces. As a methodological innovation in HRI studies, this paper presents a VR lab as a research tool that provides a virtual model of the robot Pepper along with interfaces for easy navigation and adaptive robot behavior. Moreover, the presented Wizard of Oz dashboard allows to flexibly react to the scenery by allowing the manipulation of several robot parameters during runtime. With the help of the VR lab, a framework for a variety of interdisciplinary research purposes in human-robot interaction (not only) in public spaces is provided.