Robots and People // Final Project Studio

Today

• Human-Robot Interactions: Robots in Public
• Final Project Studio

For Next Time

• Revise your Final Project Proposal by Monday November 17th by 7PM (after class today)
  • Milestone 1 will be due Sunday November 23rd at 7PM
  • Milestone 2 will be due Monday December 8th at 7PM
  • The Final Project will be due Tuesday December 16th at 7PM
• Review the requirements for Broader Impacts Phase 3, due on Friday December 12th at 7PM
• Consider whether there is feedback you’d like to share about the class

Human-Robot Interaction: Robots in “Public”

So far in this class, we have framed robots as tools or extensions of human/system capabilities. But robots can also transcend these definitions: what happens when robots become…home attendants? coworkers? friends?

Understanding the relationship between people and robots can be essential for assessing intended use, putting in reasonable protections (for person and for robot), and interrogating the future of human-robot collaboration and sociotechnical societies.

Today, we’ll have a look at a few examples of robots interacting with the “public” (non-robotics-engineer users or bystanders) and reflect on how people engage with these robots, and what those implications are.

At your table, pick one of the following robots to learn more about:

• Trashbot: a mobile trashcan in the streets of NYC (Video, Paper)
• Packbot: a mobile search and rescue tool (Video, Thesis (read abstract and sim results/analysis section))
• Robot EduTutor: a robotic educational tutor and companion for kids (Paper Paper)
• Last-Mile Delivery Bot: a cross-floor building-internal mobile mail service (Paper, Paper)

Once you have picked your robot, consider the following:

• What does the typical interaction look like between the robot and the human (long term / short term, ad hoc, verbal, physical, etc.)?
• How do people seem to respond to the robot? Does that surprise you? Why or why not?
• What are the technical implications given that a relationship may/may not form between the robot and people?

We’ll shareout, and after, come together to reflect on the question: what is the responsibility of the engineer to foster or disrupt relationship forming between robots and people?