Social Touch in Human-Robot Physical Interactions

Abstract:
Robot technology continues to move from tools for manufacturing to devices that people will find in their homes to achieve everyday activities. With this transformation comes the need to develop a deep understanding of how to design these new robot technologies and what are the physical, psychological and social limits for their use. In the growing field of Human Robot Interaction there has been much consideration of visual and mechanical capabilities of robots. What has lagged is research investigating physical interactions between humans and robots. Given the importance of touch in human-human social interactions there is a critical need to address this gap and advance understanding of social touch in human-robot interaction. Our objective is to advance a fundamental understanding of the psychology of human-robot social touch that leverages an understanding of human social touch. These advances can be used to facilitate human-robot interactions and will build the knowledge base for fields such as care robots where robots are being deployed to assist in hospitals, care homes and other scenarios where robots help vulnerable populations.

In this interdisciplinary research we will use knowledge of multisensory cue combination to understand how different touch cues, along with visual cues provided by augmented reality (AR) are integrated to produce experiences of animacy. In conjunction with the use of the socially assistive robot PARO we will then explore how these touch experiences can be used to reduce stress. The use of augmented reality with touch cues will also open the door to the design of new effective social robots.Every study involving experiments with human participants requires serious ethical consideration. This project was considered through this lens of experimental psychology. It is planned that each experiment performed during the PhD will conform to the basic ethical standards outlined by the ESRC as well as the British Psychological Society. We have a strong track record of obtaining ethical permission for human interactions with technology, in particular with robots and touch interactions. This knowledge has helped us to scope the proposed research within the space of experiments that satisfy ethical constraints that value and prioritise the safety and health of all participants.