This paper presents a study aimed at exploring the effects of different modality combinations on collaborative task performance and employed joint task-solving strategies in a shared interface. The modality combinations visual/haptic, visual/audio and visual/haptic/audio were compared in an experiment in which users solved a task together, working in pairs in adjacent rooms. The application used contained a flat surface in a 3D interface on which piles of cubes were randomly placed in a grid. The task involved scanning for empty cells and placing continuously falling cubes until all empty cells were filled. The cubes and the flat surface were designed in such a way that they could be felt and heard and thus could be recognized by different kinds of haptic and audio feedback cues. This made it possible to scan the environment and read both absolute and relative positions in the grid. A quantitative analysis of task performance and a qualitative analysis of video recordings and interview data were performed. Results showed that task completion times were significantly faster in the visual/haptic/audio condition compared with the other conditions and that there were also significantly fewer errors, result checks of one’s own actions and double checks of the partner’s actions in the visual/haptic/audio condition than in the other conditions. Qualitative results show that participants work simultaneously to a larger extent in the visual/haptic/audio condition and that less communication occurred in the visual/haptic/audio condition compared with the other conditions. We argue that more modalities improved the awareness of the environment resulting in the participants feeling more confident with their interaction in the environment in the visual/haptic/audio condition. This resulted in improved task performance. The visual/audio feedback was better suited for solving the task than the visual/haptic feedback even though haptic feedback gave a significant added value in the visual/haptic/audio condition.

Human-robot interaction (HRI) is of global importance, as exemplified by the human and financial resources dedicated to research and development in the area. The vision for this special issue was to provide a broad, global perspective on the field. More specifically, the vision was for researchers in representative projects from around the world to share lessons and perspectives on HRI obtained from those projects.

Robotic telepresence, also known as telerobotics is a subfield of telepresence whose aim is to increase presence via embodiment in a robotic platform. In particular, robotic telepresence can be an effective tool to enhance social interaction suited to certain groups of users such as the elderly. The aim of this workshop is to address various aspects important for social robotic telepresence which include but are not limited to, (1) the mechanical design, (2) the user interface design, (3) the interaction between the remotely embodied person and the locally embodied person and (4) the perception of social robotic telepresence systems. Furthermore, we are interested in discovering the added value of spatial presence in the context of social telepresence and comparisons between robotic and non-robotic systems are of interest. We welcome contributions concerning results reached from the above mentioned areas of interest, user evaluation and methodologies, as well as reports from the deployment of social robotic solutions into real world contexts.

Human-robot interaction (HRI) research is here presented into social robots that have to be able to interact with inexperienced users. In the design of these robots many research findings of human-human interaction and human-computer interaction are adopted but the direct applicability of these theories is limited because a robot is different from both humans and computers. Therefore, new methods have to be developed in HRI in order to build robots that are suitable for inexperienced users. In this paper we present a video study we conducted employing our robot BIRON (Bielefeld robot companion) which is designed for use in domestic environments. Subjects watched the system during the interaction with a human and rated two different robot behaviours (extrovert and introvert). The behaviours differed regarding verbal output and person following of the robot. Aiming to improve human-robot interaction, participantspsila ratings of the behaviours were evaluated and compared.

Interacting with a domestic service robot implies the existence for a joint environment model for a user and a robot. We present a pilot study that investigates, how humans present a familiar environment to a mobile robot. Results from this study are used to evaluate a generic environment model for a service robot that can be personalised by interaction.

Natural language user interfaces for robots with cognitive capabilities should be designed to reduce the occurrence of miscommunication in order to be perceived as providing a smooth and intuitive interaction to its users. This paper describes how miscommunication analysis is integrated in the design process. Observations from 12 user sessions revealed that users misunderstand the robot's functionality; and that feedback sometimes is ill-timed with respect to the situation. We provide a set of design implications to prevent errors from occurring, to influence or adapt to users' behavior

Co-presence and embodied interaction are two fundamental characteristics of the command and control situation for service robots. This paper presents a study of spatial distances and orientation of a robot with respect to a human user in an experimental setting. Relevant concepts of spatiality from social interaction studies are introduced and related to human-robot interaction (HRI). A Wizard-of-Oz study quantifies the observed spatial distances and spatial formations encountered. However, it is claimed that a simplistic parameterization and measurement of spatial interaction misses the dynamic character and might be counter-productive in the design of socially appropriate robots

Human interaction with a service robot requires a shared representation of the environment for spoken dialogue and task specification where names used for particular locations are depending on personal preferences. A question is how such human oriented models can be tied to the geometric robotic models needed for precise localisation and navigation. We assume that this integration can be based on the information potential users give to a service robot about its working environment. We further believe that this information is best given in an interactive setting (a "guided tour") in this particular environment. This paper presents a pilot study that investigates how humans present a familiar environment to a mobile robot. The study is set up within our concept of human augmented mapping, for which we assume an initial "guided tour" scenario to teach a robot its environment. Results from this pilot study are used to validate a proposed generic environment model for a service robot

This paper presents an in-depth analysis from a human robot interaction (HRI) study on spatial positioning and interaction episode transitions. Subjects showed a living room to a robot to teach it new places and objects. This joint task was analyzed with respect to organizing strategies for interaction episodes. Noticing the importance of transitions between interaction episodes, small adaptive movements in posture were observed. This finding needs to be incorporated into HRI modules that plan and execute robots' spatial behavior in interaction, e.g., through dynamic adaptation of spatial formations and distances depending on interaction episode

Robots are sometimes considered as candidates for being ideal helpers in various situations. As robot technology advances quickly it might be tempting to assume that robots will soon widely used in homes dealing with all sorts of tasks, from small assignments to more complex tasks. However, it is still not clear what people expect a robot to do in their homes. This paper describes the results from two studies that investigate the public opinion towards service robots, both as a general domestic worker, and as a support for people with special needs

This paper describes the experiences from the iterative design of a fetch-and-carry-robot, to be used by motion-impaired people in an office environment. A user-centered approach was chosen, involving several steps of information elicitation to inform the design. We describe the main elements of the design process, the communication and interaction components of the final prototype system, and an evaluation of the system in the form of a longitudinal study. Results from this study confirmed that continuous testing with users is extremely important in the design process for service robots. The trials have also revealed that interaction design for robots should not focus only on the individual user, but that other members in the environment can be seen "secondary users" or "bystanders" who tend to relate to the robot actively in various ways. We conclude that these social and collaborative issues should be studied in future research.