In this position paper, we argue that baseball-and sports more broadly-provide a unique and under-explored opportunity for researchers to study human-robot interaction (HRI) in real-world settings. Using the rise of robot umpires in baseball as a primary example, we examine emerging themes such as power dynamics among players and umpires, labor implications, and technical challenges. We emphasize the affordances and benefits of studying sports within HRI, including the integration of interdisciplinary perspectives, the large-scale deployment of robots, and the examination of their role in deeply rooted cultural practices.

In this work, we examine robots "asking for help" in unpredictable human spaces. We focus on an open question particularly relevant for robots deployed in public–"how do people help robots?" We present an elicitation study that shows how asking for help in a real-world field study yields valuable and sometimes unexpected information. From our study, we examine strangers’ responses toward a robot asking for spatial directions and extract valuable themes that can inform future asking-for-help systems. Our analysis provides a wide range of information, from geometric and topological information in natural language to details about rejection during an interaction. Further, we also provide anecdotes of valuable outlier behavior that can only be captured through a study in a real public space. Through our work, we highlight the importance of in-the-wild studies and discuss how the rich information they contribute will help robots effectively ask for help.