Evaluating Users' Perception of Biologically Inspired Involuntary Behavior in Human-Robot Interaction

Multimodal communication is a human feature that enables diverse interactions. In human-robot interaction (HRI), robots have to communicate using human skills so that they can seem natural and assist effectively. Most research uses predefined gestures to equip robots with social abilities. However, researchers scarcely consider generating bioinspired involuntary behavior to improve a robot's expressiveness and communication. Human studies revealed that involuntary behavior affects how others perceive communicative intentions. Therefore, mimicking human involuntary behavior may positively affect HRI. This article extends our previous work on equipping robots with involuntary behavior with a user study that evaluates the use of bioinspiration for complementing gestures. A preliminary test is conducted with 15 participants to determine if they can perceive the intensities of the involuntary processes heart rate, pupil size, blink rate, breathing rate, and motor activity. 63 new participants interacted with a robot with bioinspired behaviors or a robot only showing predefined gestures to evaluate the robots' warmth, competence, and discomfort. The results show that the preliminary test participants differentiated the intensities of the involuntary processes. Participants in the second study find the robot with bioinspired behaviors significantly warmer and more competent than the robot with predefined gestures, with no discomfort difference. Herein, a study with 63 participants finds that the biologically inspired Mini robot enhances human-robot interaction by mimicking involuntary processes like heartbeat and pupil size, making it seem warmer, more competent, and natural in its responses.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH