Biological, Biomimetic and Sociological Aspects of Human-Robot Interaction in Work Environments

Human-robot cooperation in work environments is an upcoming, but still crucial topic in the study of human-robot interaction (HRI). Aspects of work safety are substantial. In many areas where industrial robots are used in the production process, they are separated by security spaces from the workers. Nonetheless, there is an upcoming need for robots taking part in collaborative actions with human workers. For this purpose, the interaction with the robot has to be safe, as well as intuitive and unproblematic. The construction of interactive working robots can learn from different disciplines in order to achieve this goal of successful and convenient human-robot interaction. This article presents insights from biology, biomimetic robotics and sociology regarding perceptual, constructional and interactional issues. Biological aspects help understanding how humans work and allow the transfer of these insights to the construction of robots and human-robot interaction. Abstracting biological principles and transferring them to the construction of robots is the part of biomimetic robotics. A biomimetic approach unfolds a huge potential for the safety issue in HRI. Sociological insights may help evaluating human-robot interactions behind the foil of human-human interactions and contribute important social factors.