With the recent shift from conventional industrial robots to more collaborative Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) robots11In this paper, the term ‘HRI robot’ is used to underscore the significance of the interaction between robots and humans, rather than focusing on the type of robot involved (e.g., cobot, social robot) or the nature of the interaction (e.g., instruction-based, social interaction-based), when we refer to HRI robots we refer to any type of robot a person/s may interact or engage directly with during a task. within industries such as the agriculture sector, it has become essential to understand the challenges associated with the adoption of these robots to ensure a smooth integration with minimal resistance. As with all new technologies, there is often push-back when changing approaches and initiating new pathways within company operations, which can cause hesitation and even halt the adoption process. This paper draws from interviews with agricultural companies that have previously attempted to implement robots requiring direct human interaction, focusing on individuals within those companies who had decision-making capabilities during the implementation process. From these interviews, a set of action principles has been developed based on transferable knowledge found within the participating companies. The main results of this user study highlight that previous implementation attempts, whether positive or negative, influence future adoption. The study also identifies the multitude of barriers surrounding the agricultural sector's adoption of these technologies and suggests potential actions for companies to take to minimize the issues associated with implementing HRI robots. By identifying common successes and failures and contextualizing them for other companies to follow, this study aims to utilize lessons learned from past implementation attempts to shorten the learning curve and reduce hesitation in adopting HRI robots within the agricultural sector.

Shepherding is a skill which can take sheepdogs anywhere from three months to three years to learn, and can cost shepherds tens of thousands of pounds. This study explores the potential of robot sheepdogs, which could be as low as £1600. Using expert observations from farm managers the study assesses the efficacy of BostonDynamics Spot at shepherding. Observations from the three field trials showed potential for the robot in maintaining the flock whilst in motion, dynamically adjusting the flock's flight distance with indirect eye contact, and eliciting pressure in collaboration with a sheepdog, to move the sheep into their pens.

The integration and adoption of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) technologies present numerous challenges and opportunities, with adoption referring to the stage in which they are initially selected for use, and integration referring to a sense of acceptance and transparency within the user environment once they’ve been adopted. As we move towards a hybrid society where we must coexist with agents such as robots, issues such as privacy concerns, ethical considerations, and the potential displacement of human workers by robots need to be addressed. However, the opportunities are equally compelling, including improved efficiency, enhanced safety in hazardous environments, and the potential for robots to as- sist in tasks that are physically demanding or repetitive for humans. We propose to run a workshop on the challenges and opportuni- ties that the adoption and integration of HRI technologies pose in the creation of this hybrid society as a crucial platform for re- searchers, developers, and other stakeholders to collaborate, share insights, and address these opportunities and challenges collectively. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, our workshop can catal- yse innovation by fostering discussion, establishing best practices, and informing policies surrounding the responsible integration of robots into society and Industry. Furthermore, the community stands to gain invaluable knowledge, networking opportunities, and the chance to shape the future of HRI technologies while con- sidering the technological and social factors that play a crucial role in the adoption and integration of such technologies. With this workshop, our main objective is to create a welcoming environ- ment to discuss the issues surrounding the adoption and integration of Human-Robot Interaction technologies in different topic areas, as well as to explore together with attendees the potential ways forward to improve this.

As robotics, particularly in agriculture, become more prevalent, understanding the role that different factors play on the trust levels that users have in these robots becomes crucial to facilitate their adoption and integration into the industry. In this paper we present the results of a within-subjects study that included between-subject factors exploring how prior experience with robotics and different interaction styles with a mobile manipulator robot may affect trust levels in said robot before and after the completion of an agriculture-related manipulation task. The results show that interacting with the robot helps improve trust levels, particularly for those without prior experience with robotics, who present a higher trust improvement score, and that an interaction style involving physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), more specifically Learning by Demonstration, was favoured versus less direct interaction styles. We found that incorporating Text-to-Speech (TTS) can be a good design choice when trying to improve trust, and that the improvement score for trust before and after interaction with the robot was significantly higher for older age groups, with these participants being more conservative with their reported trust level before the interaction. Overall, these results offer insights into different interaction styles and their effect on trust levels for an agriculture-related manipulation task, and open the door to future work exploring further interaction styles and task variations.