Robot Feedback Motion for User Interruption Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots used in public settings are vulnerable to interruptions during interactions with specific users due to attention hijacking by other users, leading to incomplete or disrupted sessions.
Innovation Solution
A robot equipped with a camera, processor, and driver that identifies and responds to user commands, determines interruptions by other users during interactions, and performs feedback motions to maintain the session with the intended user, such as moving to avoid the interrupting user and maintaining proximity to the primary user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot interacts with multiple users in a public setting, then the robot's versatility and service coverage are improved, but the robot becomes vulnerable to interruptions and attention hijacking during interaction sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary actions by detecting the presence of multiple users before an interaction session begins, identifying the primary user in advance, and establishing user priority levels. This preliminary user identification and session management structure prevents interruptions during the interaction session, as the robot is pre-configured to maintain continuity with the identified primary user while still being capable of serving multiple users.
2Ease of operation
If the robot responds to all user inputs equally, then the robot's ease of operation is improved, but the robot cannot prevent interruption by non-primary users during active sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The robot applies local quality by differentiating response strategies based on user identity and session state. During an active interaction session, the robot selectively responds only to the primary user's inputs while ignoring or deferring inputs from other users. This localized response differentiation maintains session integrity with the primary user while still providing accessibility to other users outside of active sessions.
3Reliability
If the robot maintains continuous interaction with a primary user, then the interaction quality is improved, but the robot cannot adapt to new users who may need assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The robot implements dynamics by making the primary user designation and interaction mode flexible rather than fixed. The system can dynamically transition between different user states, allowing a user to become the primary user when needed while maintaining the ability to switch between single-user and multi-user modes. This dynamic adaptability ensures high interaction quality with the current primary user while preserving flexibility to accommodate new users.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes a driver; a camera; and a processor configured to: during an interaction session in which a first user identified in an image obtained through the camera is set as an interaction subject, perform an operation corresponding to a user command received from the first user, and determine whether interruption by a second user identified in an image obtained through the camera occurs, and based on determining that the interruption by the second user occurred, control the driver such that the robot performs a feedback motion for the interruption.