Dialogue-based human-robot interaction for space construction teams

This paper describes a human-robot interaction that uses dialogues as a basis for the operation of multiple robots in space construction. The dialogues, which are conducted by the operator and a community of software agents, consist of explicit and implicit queries and responses regarding the state of the robots and their environment. A dialogue enables a high-level but active role for the operator in resource management and task planning for space construction missions with multiple robots. The dynamic nature of such a scenario will be challenging for the operator, but a dialogue interaction provides valid, up-to-date information about robot capabilities that make up the tools that the operator may use to solve problems creatively. This interaction enables the management of large teams of multiple robots through methods that are natural for the operator. Experiments demonstrate the utility of this method of robot operation, and point out some of the challenges that remain for future research.