Exploring a Comfort Zone in Side-by-Side Communication for Human-Robot Interaction

Robots have been known to assist in making our lives more convenient in everyday situations by interacting with humans. Human-Robot Interaction is the area that focuses on developing methods that allow robots to interact with humans effortlessly. Humans may not be comfortable interacting or working together with robots in close proximity. However, the need for this close interaction with robots in situations such as escorting a group of people and guiding a group of people has led to situations where humans and robots are required to move and walk together. Research conducted into human walking behavior has shown that humans tend to walk in a side-by-side formation whenever possible. Therefore, the designers of new generational robots began to capture these qualities of humans when designing their robots. However, a major problem that arose when attempting to implement side-by-side motion models for robots was the fact that humans tend to have an intimate or personal space that is considered as a comfort zone for them. Therefore, the necessity arose to find a method that facilitates side-by-side walking for robots without invading human-personal space. As a remedy for this issue, a methodology was developed that was focused on exploring a comfort zone in side-by-side communication for human-robot interaction that allows the robot to walk side by side along with humans in a controlled environment without invading the human companion’s personal space. This research will attempt at bringing the human quality of companionship to robots to enhance human-robot interaction.