1. Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Hertfordshire
Investigating Psychological and Biological Processes for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI-BioPsy)
Frank Förster
Kerstin Dautenhahn
Chrystopher Nehaniv
Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Hertfordshire

2. Overview Motivation: What makes human-robot interaction work
HRI-BioPsy
Overview
Motivation: What makes human-robot interaction work
Motor resonance and its indices
Proposed factors impacting on motor resonance
Forthcoming experiment

3. Motivation [ Video negation experiments]
HRI-BioPsy
Motivation
[ Video negation experiments]
Motor resonance as proposed measure for (potential) quality of interaction
Motor resonance  mirror neuron system
Chaminade, T., & Cheng, G. (2009). Social cognitive neuroscience and humanoid robotics. Journal of Physiology-Paris, 103(3),
“The underlying assumption is that the measure of resonance indicates the extent
to which an artificial agent is considered as a social inter-actor.”
[Chaminade & Cheng (2009)]

4. Proposed indices of motor resonance
HRI-BioPsy
Proposed indices of motor resonance
Motor Interference: Deviation of physical trajectory under observation of orthogonal movements
Motor Contagion: Adaptation of velocity profiles under observation of congruent movements
Motor Priming: Increased / decreased time of onset after observation of incongruent / congruent movements

5. Index 1: Motor Interference
HRI-BioPsy
Index 1: Motor Interference
[Video motor interference]
Measure: Deviation of one-dimensional movement trajectory when observing incongruent movement
Experiment: Actors move simultaneously
[ Kilner et al. (2003), Shen et al. (2011), Shen et al. (2015) ]
Kilner, J. M., Paulignan, Y., Blakemore, S.J. (2003). An interference effect of observed biological movement on action. Current Biology, 13(6),
Shen, Q., Kose-Bagci, H., Saunders, J., Dautenhahn, K. (2011). The Impact of Participants’ Beliefs on Motor Interference and Motor Coordination in Human-Humanoid Interaction IEEE Transactions on Autonomous Mental Development, 3(1), 6-16.
Shen, Q., Dautenhahn, K., Saunders, J., Kose, H. (2015). Can Real-Time, Adaptive Human-Robot Motor Coordination Improve Humans’ Overall Perception of a Robot?. IEEE Transactions on Autonomous Mental Development, 7(1),

6. Index 2: Motor Contagion
HRI-BioPsy
Index 2: Motor Contagion
Measure: Temporal adaptation of velocity profile towards the velocity profile of an observed congruent movement
Experiment: Actors move simultaneously
[ Bisio et al. (2014) ]
Bisio, A., Sciutti, A., Nori, F., Metta, G., Fadiga, L., Sandini, G. & Pozzo, T. (2014). Motor contagion during human-human and human-robot interaction. PLoS ONE 9(8): e

7. HRI-BioPsy
Index 3: Motor Priming
Measure: Increase or decrease in time of onset of action after observing congruent / incongruent movement
Experiment: Stimulus and participants’ movement are sequential
Time differences of ~ 30 ms
[ Press et al. (2005) ]
Press, C., Bird, G, Flach, R., & Heyes, C. (2005). Robotic movement elicits automatic imitation. Cognitive Brain Research, 25(3),

8. Factors impacting upon motor resonance
Top-down vs. bottom-up factors
Bottom-up (biological):
velocity profile of movements
Visual properties of stimulus (biologically vs. mechanically looking)
Top-down (psychological):
Primes
Attitude, Expectations
Partner model

9. Experiment 1 (forthcoming) (I)
Aim 1: Measuring 2 indices simultaneously for correlation
Motor interference + motor contagion
Aim 2: Evaluation of suitability of these indices for turn-based / sequential interaction
Platform used: iCub humanoid
Methodology: 2 groups
primed group (“robot is watching”)
‘non-primed’ (“robot is not watching”)

10. Experiment 1 (forthcoming) (II)
Methodology: 4 experimental conditions for each group, based on all 4 combinations of:
Simultaneous vs. turn-based / sequential interaction
Congruent vs. incongruent movements
Attempt to move towards more realistic interaction by use of transitive movement (moving an object from A to B).
No use of overtly social feedback / behavior on part of the robot in order to avoid additional variable

11. Thank you! Questions? HRI-BioPsy Additional support was provided
from Univ. Hertfordshire to upgrade
iCub lab.