Do relative positions and proxemics affect the engagement in a Human-Robot collaborative scenario?

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of relative position and proxemics in the engagement process involved in Human-Robot collaboration. We evaluate the differences between two experimental placement conditions (frontal vs. lateral) for an autonomous robot in a collaborative task with a user across two different types of robot behaviours (helpful vs. neutral). The study evaluated placement and behaviour types around a touch table with 80 participants by measuring gaze, smiling behaviour, distance from the task, and finally electrodermal activity. Results suggest an overall user preference and higher engagement rates with the helpful robot in the frontal position. We discuss how behaviours and position of the robot relative to a user may affect user engagement and collaboration, in particular when the robot aims to provide help via socio-emotional bonding.