Using HRI theory to inform robot development is an important, but difficult, endeavor. This paper explores the relationship between HRI theory and HRI practice through a design project on the development of design guidelines for human-robot communication together with a dairy farming robot manufacturer. The design guidelines, a type of intermediate-level knowledge, were intended to enrich the specialized knowledge of the company on farming context with relevant academic knowledge. In this process, we identified that HRI theories were used as a frame, a tool, best practices, and a reference; while the HRI practice provided a context, a reference, and validation for the theories. Our intended contribution is to propose a means to facilitate exchanges both ways between HRI theory and practice and add to the emerging repertoire of designerly ways of producing knowledge in HRI.

We developed a new hand model for increasing the robustness of finger-based manipulations of virtual objects. Each phalanx of our hand model consists of a number of deformable soft bodies, which dynamically adapt to the shape of grasped objects based on the applied forces. Stronger forces directly result in larger contact areas, which increase the friction between hand and object as would occur in reality. For a robust collision-based soft body simulation, we extended the lattice-shape matching algorithm to work with adaptive stiffness values, which are dynamically derived from force and velocity thresholds. Our implementation demonstrates that this approach allows very precise and robust grasping, manipulation and releasing of virtual objects and performs in real-time for a variety of complex scenarios. Additionally, laborious tuning of object and friction parameters is not necessary for the wide range of objects that we typically grasp with our hands.

Searching through information can be done in two ways: by querying and browsing. In the literature these approaches are treated separately. However every search usually consists of a combination of browsing and querying. Therefore this paper is about combining querying and browsing in one search interface. Our hypothesis is that both strategies can be combined and users will be better supported in their search for information. A model is presented how to combine these approaches and this model is evaluated by applying it in the knowledge-mapping domain. We will show that combining both strategies in one model is possible. Based on our evaluation of the application of this model we conclude that the users understand this combination and find it to be helpful. However several technical issues need to be addressed in our future research to confirm the usefulness of this combination.