Alle Publikationen
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2019
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(2019): A Personalized and Platform-Independent Behavior Control System for Social Robots in Therapy: Development and Applications. In: IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems 11 (3), S. 334-346. DOI: 10.1109/TCDS.2018.2795343
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TCDS.2018.2795343 Abstract: Social robots have been proven beneficial in different types of healthcare interventions. An ongoing trend is to develop (semi-)autonomous socially assistive robotic systems in healthcare context to improve the level of autonomy and reduce human workload. This paper presents a behavior control system for social robots in therapies with a focus on personalization and platform-independence. This system architecture provides the robot an ability to behave as a personable character, which behaviors are adapted to user profiles and responses during the human-robot interaction. Robot behaviors are designed at abstract levels and can be transferred to different social robot platforms. We adopt the component-based software engineering approach to implement our proposed architecture to allow for the replaceability and reusability of the developed components. We introduce three different experimental scenarios to validate the usability of our system. Results show that the system is potentially applicable to different therapies and social robots. With the component-based approach, the system can serve as a basic framework for researchers to customize and expand the system for their targeted healthcare applications.
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(2019) : Equipping social robots with culturally-sensitive facial expressions of emotion using data-driven methods: 2019 14th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face & Gesture Recognition (FG 2019): 2019 14th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face & Gesture Recognition (FG 2019): Lille. France: IEEE, S. 1-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/FG.2019.8756570 Abstract: Social robots must be able to generate realistic and recognizable facial expressions to engage their human users. Many social robots are equipped with standardized facial expressions of emotion that are widely considered to be universally recognized across all cultures. However, mounting evidence shows that these facial expressions are not universally recognized - for example, they elicit significantly lower recognition accuracy in East Asian cultures than they do in Western cultures. Therefore, without culturally sensitive facial expressions, state-of-the-art social robots are restricted in their ability to engage a culturally diverse range of human users, which in turn limits their global marketability. To develop culturally sensitive facial expressions, novel data-driven methods are used to model the dynamic face movement patterns that convey basic emotions (e.g., happy, sad, anger) in a given culture using cultural perception. Here, we tested whether such dynamic facial expression models, derived in an East Asian culture and transferred to a popular social robot, improved the social signalling generation capabilities of the social robot with East Asian participants. Results showed that, compared to the social robot's existing set of facial `universal' expressions, the culturally-sensitive facial expression models are recognized with generally higher accuracy and judged as more human-like by East Asian participants. We also detail the specific dynamic face movements (Action Units) that are associated with high recognition accuracy and judgments of human-likeness, including those that further boost performance. Our results therefore demonstrate the utility of using data-driven methods that employ human cultural perception to derive culturally-sensitive facial expressions that improve the social face signal generation capabilities of social robots. We anticipate that these methods will continue to inform the design of social robots and broaden their usability and global marketability.
2018
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(2018) : Towards playful learning and computational thinking — Developing the educational robot BRICKO: 2018 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC): 2018 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC): Princeton, United States: IEEE, S. 37-44
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ISECon.2018.8340502 Abstract: Educational Robotics has proven a feasible way of supporting and exemplifying Computational Thinking. With this paper, we describe the user-centered iterative and incremental development of a new educational robotic system, BRICKO, to support tangible, social and playful interaction while educating children in 1 st -3 rd grade in Computational Thinking. We develop the system through seven main iterations including a total of 108 participant pupils and their teachers. The methodology is a mixture of observation and interviews using Wizard of OZ testing with the early pilot prototypes as well as usability and user experience testing with the following incrementally improved digital prototypes. Our results for development and evaluation are presented for each iteration leading onto the next and describes the evolution of both the BRICKO driving robot as well as the BRICKO programming-board and its different categories of command-bricks. We discuss the methodologies used for assuring a playful and social educational robotic system and conclude that we achieved a useful prototype for supporting education in Computational Thinking.
2017
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(2017) : Feasibility of using sphero in rehabilitation of children with autism in social and communication skills: 2017 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN): Lisbon, Portugal: IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, S. 989-994
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICORR.2017.8009378 Abstract: The majority of children with autism face difficulties in social interaction and communication skills. Consequently, in this paper we present a pilot study in which we explored the usability of Sphero TM as a rehabilitation tool for developing social and communication skills. We designed an interactive scenario where children with autism should verbally control the robot and utter voice commands. Our observations show that the children were very interested to interact with the robot in the given framework. They showed surprising behaviors that are promising evidences of effectiveness of using Sphero in rehabilitation of social and communication deficits.
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(2017) : Design of the companion robot interaction for supporting major tasks of the elderly: 2017 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient Intelligence (URAI): 2017 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient Intelligence (URAI): Jeju, Korea: IEEE, S. 655-659
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/URAI.2017.7992695 Abstract: This research aims to develop the companion robot experience design optimized for supporting living tasks of the elderly in Korea. First, Elder users' main needs were categorized into 4 groups based on ethnographic research. Second, the functional elements and physical actuators of robot were mapped to user needs in function-needs deploy matrix. The final UX design of companion robot was derived as a verbal non-touch multi modal interface with emotional facial expression. Usability test of the interface was conducted targeting 8 elderly' users and users' response and acceptance was positive.
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(2017) : Speaking robots: The challenges of acceptance by the ageing society: 2017 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN): Lisbon, Portugal: IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, S. 1285-1290
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2017.8172470 Abstract: The ability of robots to dialogue with humans appears as one critical Human-Machine Interaction feature when it comes to transferring robots into society. This ability gains additional importance when it comes to elderly people, since they find it more comfortable and natural to interact using voice, due to possible natural physical impairments that hinder the usage of some of the interaction modalities (e.g. touch screens). Challenges like recognition accuracy, distant speech, the idiosyncrasies of elderly voices (fading, muffled pronunciation, etc.), the effects of surrounding environment noise or the expressiveness of the robot when speaking, become highly relevant in the acceptance and usability of service robots by the ageing population. In this paper, we present the results, challenges and solutions developed during a nine-month iterative evaluation process that took place within the GrowMeUp project, with focus on speech recognition and synthesis. The paper concludes with an identification of open scientific and technological problems, based on our interpretation of results, which we identify as critical for the acceptance and usability of robots by an ageing society.
2016
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(2016) : Increasing psychological well-being through human-robot interaction: 2016 11th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI): Christchurch, New Zealand: IEEE Press, S. 617-618
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/HRI.2016.7451884 Abstract: Intelligent tutoring systems, electronic fitness bands, and assistive robots all contribute toward increasing the wellness of humans by providing different forms of support. As a class of machines focused on increasing the physical and psychological well-being of users emerges, new design considerations and questions arise. We are exploring the potential of prosocial machines via social robotic systems focused on enhancing a user's psychological well-being through positive interventions. This article briefly summarizes our initial approach to understanding prosocial machines via a positive psychology based intervention focused on comparing the ability of different systems to induce measurable increases in a human's level of hopefulness.
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(2016) : Interactive Q-learning for social robots that learn from the Wizard: A pilot study: 2016 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC): 2016 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC): Budapest, Hungary: IEEE, S. 003683-003687
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/SMC.2016.7844806 Abstract: This paper discusses interactive Q-learning as a method for learning appropriate robot behavior from the human teleoperator in order to increase the robot's autonomy in various human-robot interaction scenarios. We demonstrate the usability of our approach on a simulation of a simple task. The results show the feasibility of this method in different kinds of interactions. As a conclusion, we discuss the results and the next steps of the research.
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(2016) : Results of a real world trial with a mobile social service robot for older adults: 2016 11th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI): Christchurch, New Zealand: IEEE Press, S. 497-498
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/HRI.2016.7451824 Abstract: Robots are an increasingly discussed solution for assistance of seniors. Importance of testing natural interaction therefore becomes crucial. This paper presents first results of a study with an autonomous mobile social service robot prototype that was deployed in 18 private households of senior adults aged 75 years and older for a total of 371 days. Findings show that utility met the users' expectations. However, the robot was rather seen as a toy instead of being supportive for independent living. Furthermore, despite of an emergency function of the robot, perceived safety did not increase. Reasons for this might be the good health conditions of our users, a lack of technological robustness and slow performance of the prototype. However, users believed that a market ready version of the robot would be vital for supporting people who are more fragile and more socially isolated.
2015
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(2015) : You and your robot companion — A framework for creating robotic applications usable by non-experts: 2015 24th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN): Kobe, Japan: IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, S. 615-620
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2015.7333562 Abstract: In this paper we present a system for all and sundry to create robotic applications which is characterized by adaptivity on different levels. First, users are enabled to create their own applications (e.g. play a card game with robot) by the usage of a decision making framework for robot companions. Second, within a created application the robot itself adapts its behavior via user feedback based on a decision making algorithm (e.g. teach the robot a card game based on user feedback). In dependency of the user's expertise, he or she has different possibilities of enhancing the robot's capabilities. Especially for the non-expert user a tool has been developed which provides a graphical user interface to configure applications. The usability of the tool has been evaluated with 5 participants of the age group 40+. The results show that the technical requirements to include non-experts are fulfilled by the framework but also reveal ways to improve the tool, such as the placement of the assistance mechanisms offered to the user.
2014
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(2014) : Tools for programming human robot interaction: 2014 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC): 2014 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC): Melbourne, Australia: IEEE, S. 183-184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/VLHCC.2014.6883046 Abstract: Whilst robots are increasingly being used in scenarios that involve human-robot interaction, it is still difficult to program them to interact with humans. This is because current programming tools either require programmers to work at low abstraction levels or they lack features needed to implement particular aspects of human-robot interaction. Our goal is to create an API that is both capable of programming a wide range of human-robot interaction scenarios and is easy to use by the various users of human-robot interaction programming tools. We have taken a first step toward this API by developing an exemplar, high level API for programming social interaction and evaluating it with the Cognitive Dimensions framework. We plan to explore other aspects of human-robot interaction, including navigation and manipulation and exploring how they should be integrated with our existing primitives for programming social interaction.
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(2014) : A human-centric API for programming socially interactive robots: 2014 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC): 2014 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC): Melbourne, Australia: IEEE, S. 121-128
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/VLHCC.2014.6883033 Abstract: Whilst robots are increasingly being deployed as social agents, it is still difficult to program them to interact socially. This is because current programming tools either require programmers to work at a low level or lack features needed to create certain aspects of social interaction. High level, domain specific tools with features designed specifically to meet the requirements of social interaction have the potential to ease the creation of social applications. We present a domain specific application programming interface (API) that is designed to meet the requirements of social interaction. The Cognitive Dimensions Framework was used as a design tool during the design process and the API was validated by implementing an exemplar application. The evaluation of the API showed that programmers with no robotics knowledge were positively impressed by the notation and that its organization, domain specific interfaces and object oriented nature positively affected several Cognitive Dimensions.
2013
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(2013) : Designing a socially assistive companion robotic wheel chair: RoboChair: 2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM): 2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM): Manila, Philippines: IEEE, S. 231-236
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758589 Abstract: Developing socially assistive robots is an emerging interdisciplinary research area, which requires collaboration between a wide range of disciplines. Among recent research projects, there have been attempts to develop assistive robotic solutions to solve various health and social issues. In most current research attempts to design socially assistive robots, the focus is on designing new robotic agents that can interact with people by various means. Since people do not have much experience with robots, usually extensive field trials are conducted in order to assess the usability of these robots. However, determining the usability of these robotic agents is a difficult task, since the results of field trials are not always conclusive. In this paper, an attempt to overcome the difficulty of evaluating usability of assistive robots is presented. This paper presents the design of the first version of a companion robot called RoboChair. RoboChair is in the form of a wheel chair. But, functionally it is a socially assistive companion robot. The proposed robotic chair is a mobile robot that can carry a person. It is equipped with several measuring devices for taking clinical measurements mentioned above. In addition to that, it is equipped with several sensors for obstacle avoidance, map building, localization, detecting humans etc. It is also equipped with motor controllers and other actuators for motion control. The robot chair is capable of engaging users with interactive dialogs through a touch screen and by using human-robot interaction techniques. It has a scalable modular architecture so that adding new hardware and software modules is straightforward. The software framework is based on Robot Operating System (ROS) open source robotic middleware. RoboChair is controlled by a distributed controller that spans multiple hardware devices and multiple operating systems.
2006
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(2006) : A New Metrology of Usability Test for New Communication Media-Humanoid Robot System: 2006 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference: 2006 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference: Saratoga Springs, NY, USA: IEEE, S. 250-255
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2006.320357 Abstract: The author interprets humanoid robots as a new communication medium with social interaction. Social interaction is essential for humanoid robots, because such robots are getting more common in social and home environments, such as a pet robot in the living room, a service robot at the office, or a robot serving people at a party. Social skills of such robots require robust, complex perceptual abilities: for example, it identifies people in the room, pays attention to their voices and looks at them to identify visually, and associates voice and visual images. Intelligent behavior of social interaction should emerge from rich channels of input sensors: visual, auditory, tactile, and others. The capabilities of humanoid robots and new communication media motivate us to develop a new remote home appliance control system HRUN (humanoid robots and ubiquitous network system, detailed in Appendix). In addition, the HRUN as a "network robots" example system of convergence of ubiquitous networks and robots is interpreted. In this paper, we describe two topics. First, we describe the results of usability test about the HRUN to over 30 students. The result shows "students want to use the HRUN and expect humanoid robot as a new communication medium. " Second, we describe a limitation of conventional metrology of usability tests. For example, students misunderstand "humanoid robot simulates a human motion - stand straight", since they able to understand the robot's rough motion and think "it's not perfect, but they are getting there". Finally, the author describes the importance of a new metrology of usability tests for the new medium
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