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Collaborative robots (cobots) are increasingly utilized within the manufacturing industry. However, despite the promise of collaboration and easier programming when compared to traditional industrial robots, cobots introduce new interaction paradigms that require more thought about the environment and distribution of work to fully realize their collaboration capabilities. Due to these additional requirements, cobots have been found to be underutilized for their collaboration capabilities in current manufacturing. Therefore, in order to make cobots more accessible and easy to use, new systems need to be developed that support users during interaction. In this research, we propose a set of tools that target the use of cobots for multiple groups of individuals that use them, in order to better support users and simplify cobot collaboration. 

Authored robotics applications have a diverse set of requirements for their authoring interfaces, being dependent on the underlying architecture of the program, the capability of the programmers and engineers using them, and the capabilities of the robot. Visual programming approaches have long been favored for both novice-level accessibility, and clear graphical representations, but current tools are limited in their customizability and ability to be integrated holistically into larger design interfaces. OpenVP attempts to address this by providing a highly congurable and customizable component library that can be integrated easily into other modern web-based applications. 

Robots are ubiquitous in manufacturing settings from small-scale to large-scale. While collaborative robots (cobots) have signicant potential in these settings due to their exibility and ease of use, they can only reach their full potential when properly integrated. Specically, cobots need to be integrated in a manner that properly utilizes their strengths, improves the performance of the manufacturing process, and can be used in concert with human workers. Understanding how to properly integrate cobots into existing manufacturing workows requires careful consideration and the knowledge of roboticists, manufacturing engineers, and business administrators. In this work, we propose an approach to collaborating with manufacturers prior to the integration process that involves planning, analysis, development, and presentation of results. This approach ultimately allows manufacturers to make an informed choice about cobot integration within their facilities. We illustrate the application of this approach through a case study with a manufacturing collaborator and discuss insights learned throughout the process. 

We argue for the use of Petri nets as a modeling language for the iterative development process of interactive robotic systems. Petri nets, particularly Timed Colored Petri nets (TCPNs), have the potential to unify various phases of the development process — design, specification, simulation, validation, implementation, and deployment. We additionally discuss future directions for creating a domain-specific variant of TCPNs tailored specifically for HRI systems development. 

We investigate how robotic camera systems can offer new capabilities to computer-supported cooperative work through the design, development, and evaluation of a prototype system called Periscope. With Periscope, a local worker completes manipulation tasks with guidance from a remote helper who observes the workspace through a camera mounted on a semi-autonomous robotic arm that is co-located with the worker. Our key insight is that the helper, the worker, and the robot should all share responsibility of the camera view-an approach we call shared camera control. Using this approach, we present a set of modes that distribute the control of the camera between the human collaborators and the autonomous robot depending on task needs. We demonstrate the system's utility and the promise of shared camera control through a preliminary study where 12 dyads collaboratively worked on assembly tasks. Finally, we discuss design and research implications of our work for future robotic camera systems that facilitate remote collaboration.

 

We aim to design robotic educational support systems that can promote socially and intellectually meaningful learning experiences for students while they complete school work outside of class. To pursue this goal, we conducted participatory design studies with 10 children (aged 10–12) to explore their design needs for robot assisted homework. We investigated children’s current ways of doing homework, the type of support they receive while doing homework, and co-designed the speech and expressiveness of a homework companion robot. Children and parents attending our design sessions explained that an emotionally expressive social robot as a homework aid can support students’ motivation and engagement, as well as their affective state. Children primarily perceived the robot as a dedicated assistant at home, capable of forming meaningful friendships, or a shared classroom learning resource. We present key design recommendations to support students’ homework experiences with a learning companion robot. 

In this work, we discuss a theoretically motivated family-centered design approach for child-robot interactions, adapted by Family Systems Theory (FST) and Family Ecological Model (FEM). Long-term engagement and acceptance of robots in the home is influenced by factors that surround the child and the family, such as child-sibling-parent relationships and family routines, rituals, and values. A family-centered approach to interaction design is essential when developing in-home technology for children, especially for social agents like robots with which they can form connections and relationships. We review related literature in family theories and connect it with child-robot interaction and child-computer interaction research. We present two case studies that exemplify how family theories, FST and FEM, can inform the integration of robots into homes, particularly research into child-robot and family-robot interaction. Finally, we pose five overarching recommendations for a family-centered design approach in child-robot interactions. 

The goal of this workshop is to have interdisciplinary discussions on family-centered interaction design of technology as an extension to child-centered design. The workshop will discuss the potential benefits of a family-centered approach to design, as well as the challenges and open questions that designers may face when adopting this approach. Through discussions and interactive activities, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and share ideas on how to effectively incorporate a family-centered perspective into their own design processes. A family-centered approach to design has the potential to create more meaningful and contextual experiences for children and their families. 

We present a participatory design method to design human-robot interactions with older adults and its application through a case study of designing an assistive robot for a senior living facility. The method, called Situated Participatory Design (sPD), was designed considering the challenges of working with older adults and involves three phases that enable designing and testing use scenarios through realistic, iterative interactions with the robot. In design sessions with nine residents and three caregivers, we uncovered a number of insights about sPD that help us understand its benefits and limitations. For example, we observed how designs evolved through iterative interactions and how early exposure to the robot helped participants consider using the robot in their daily life. With sPD, we aim to help future researchers to increase and deepen the participation of older adults in designing assistive technologies. 

Robotic technology can support the creation of new tools that improve the creative process of cinematography. It is crucial to consider the specific requirements and perspectives of industry professionals when designing and developing these tools. In this paper, we present the results from exploratory interviews with three cinematography practitioners, which included a demonstration of a prototype robotic system. We identified many factors that can impact the design, adoption, and use of robotic support for cinematography, including: (1) the ability to meet requirements for cost, quality, mobility, creativity, and reliability; (2) the compatibility and integration of tools with existing workflows, equipment, and software; and (3) the potential for new creative opportunities that robotic technology can open up. Our findings provide a starting point for future co-design projects that aim to support the work of cinematographers with collaborative robots.