Making sense with social robots: Extending the landscape of investigation in HRI

The aim of this position paper is to propose a reflection on how to account for and investigate the many ways in which interaction between robots and humans requires co-ordination, negotiation or reformulation of meanings emerging in the ongoing interaction. Towards this aim, we argue, a perspective shift may be needed: to frame interactions as social engagements whose meaning can only be understood by the standpoint of those participating in it. We first present research on psychological benchmarks and design patterns for sociality in the HRI field. Then we provide arguments for including a new interactional element currently missing in the literature: participatory sense-making processes. As we will argue, such elements can be conceived and operationalised both as a relational benchmark as well as an interactional pattern, therefore proving useful for HRI research.