Influence of the degree of abstractness of the operating method of a semi-autonomous robot on the operator's sense of operation and direction

Abstract

A semi-autonomous robot is being researched and applied, in which the robot's autonomy and human operation cooperate to accomplish practical tasks. Because such robots are both autonomous and operability, when an operator operates the robot, they may feel as if they are operating a tool that serves as their other self (sense of operation), while at the same time, they may feel as if they are giving direction to another person, the agent (sense of direction). However, the factors to make a difference in how the operator feels senses of operation and direction are not clear, and there is a lack of understanding of how this difference affects cooperation with the robot. In this study, we clarified whether an operator feels a sense of operation or direction changes depending on the degrees of abstractness of the operation method, and that which sense is preferred depends on an operator and task content. Therefore, the results of this paper suggest the importance of interaction design between an operator and the robot, which focuses on how an operator feels when operating the robot, for the application of semi-autonomous robots.