Directing human attention with pointing

Xun Wang, Mary Anne Williams, Peter Gärdenfors, Jonathan Vitale, Shaukat Abidi, Benjamin Johnston, Benjamin Kuipers, Alan Huang

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingPaper in conference proceedingpeer-review

Abstract

Pointing is a typical means of directing a human's attention to a specific object or event. Robot pointing behaviours that direct the attention of humans are critical for human-robot interaction, communication and collaboration. In this paper, we describe an experiment undertaken to investigate human comprehension of a humanoid robot's pointing behaviour. We programmed a NAO robot to point to markers on a large screen and asked untrained human subjects to identify the target of the robots pointing gesture. We found that humans are able to identify robot pointing gestures. Human subjects achieved higher levels of comprehension when the robot pointed at objects closer to the gesturing arm and when they stood behind the robot. In addition, we found that subjects performance improved with each assessment task. These new results can be used to guide the design of effective robot pointing behaviours that enable more effective robot to human communication and improve human-robot collaborative performance.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIEEE RO-MAN 2014 - 23rd IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication
Subtitle of host publicationHuman-Robot Co-Existence: Adaptive Interfaces and Systems for Daily Life, Therapy, Assistance and Socially Engaging Interactions
EditorsSelma Sabanovic, Rui Loureiro, Yukie Nagai, Aris Alissandrakis, Adriana Tapus, Fumihide Tanaka
PublisherIEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages174-179
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781479967636
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014 Jan 1
Event23rd IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, IEEE RO-MAN 2014 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duration: 2014 Aug 252014 Aug 29

Conference

Conference23rd IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, IEEE RO-MAN 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityEdinburgh
Period2014/08/252014/08/29

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Human Computer Interaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Directing human attention with pointing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this