Effects of Integrated Intent Recognition and Communication on Human-Robot Collaboration

Human-robot interaction research to date has investigated intent recognition and communication separately. In this paper, we explore the effects of integrating both the robot's ability to generate intentional motion and predict the human's motion in a collaborative physical task. We implemented an intent recognition system to recognize the human partner's hand motion intent and a motion planner system to enable the robot to communicate its intent by using legible and predictable motion. We tested this bi-directional intent system in a 2-way within-subjects user study. Results suggest that an integrated intent recognition and communication system may facilitate more collaborative behavior among team members.