Related papers: Sound Matters: Auditory Detectability of Mobile Ro…
Mobile robots increasingly operate alongside humans but are often out of sight, so that humans need to rely on the sounds of the robots to recognize their presence. For successful human-robot interaction (HRI), it is therefore crucial to…
Recent advancements in quadruped robot research have significantly improved their ability to traverse complex and unstructured outdoor environments. However, the issue of noise generated during locomotion is generally overlooked, which is…
All robots create consequential sound -- sound produced as a result of the robot's mechanisms -- yet little work has explored how sound impacts human-robot interaction. Recent work shows that the sound of different robot mechanisms affects…
We propose Audio Noise Awareness using Visuals of Indoors for NAVIgation for quieter robot path planning. While humans are naturally aware of the noise they make and its impact on those around them, robots currently lack this awareness. A…
Positive human-perception of robots is critical to achieving sustained use of robots in shared environments. One key factor affecting human-perception of robots are their sounds, especially the consequential sounds which robots (as…
Robots make compulsory machine sounds, known as `consequential sounds', as they move and operate. As robots become more prevalent in workplaces, homes and public spaces, understanding how sounds produced by robots affect human-perceptions…
As humans, we hear sound every second of our life. The sound we hear is often affected by the acoustics of the environment surrounding us. For example, a spacious hall leads to more reverberation. Room Impulse Responses (RIR) are commonly…
As robots enter everyday spaces like offices, the sounds they create affect how they are perceived. We present Music Mode, a novel mapping between a robot's joint motions and sounds, programmed by artists and engineers to make the robot…
In recent years, quadruped robots have attracted significant attention due to their practical advantages in maneuverability, particularly when navigating rough terrain and climbing stairs. As these robots become more integrated into various…
Truly intelligent agents need to capture the interplay of all their senses to build a rich physical understanding of their world. In robotics, we have seen tremendous progress in using visual and tactile perception; however, we have often…
Robot sound, encompassing both consequential operational noise and intentionally designed auditory cues, plays an important role in human-robot interaction (HRI). Developing a deeper understanding of how robot sounds influence human…
A quadruped robot is a promising system that can offer assistance comparable to that of dog guides due to its similar form factor. However, various challenges remain in making these robots a reliable option for blind and low-vision (BLV)…
Robots in shared spaces often move in ways that are difficult for people to interpret, placing the burden on humans to adapt. High-DoF robots exhibit motion that people read as expressive, intentionally or not, making it important to…
While thinking aloud has been reported to positively affect problem-solving, the effects of the presence of an embodied entity (e.g., a social robot) to whom words can be directed remain mostly unexplored. In this work, we investigated the…
How should a robot speak in a formal, quiet and dark, or a bright, lively and noisy environment? By designing robots to speak in a more social and ambient-appropriate manner we can improve perceived awareness and intelligence for these…
For underwater vehicles, robotic applications have the added difficulty of operating in highly unstructured and dynamic environments. Environmental effects impact not only the dynamics and controls of the robot but also the perception and…
Spoken language interaction is at the heart of interpersonal communication, and people flexibly adapt their speech to different individuals and environments. It is surprising that robots, and by extension other digital devices, are not…
Robots are increasingly integrated across industries, particularly in healthcare. However, many valuable applications for quadrupedal robots remain overlooked. This research explores the effectiveness of three reinforcement learning…
Tactile sensing in mobile robots remains under-explored, mainly due to challenges related to sensor integration and the complexities of distributed sensing. In this work, we present a tactile sensing architecture for mobile robots based on…
How easy is it to sneak up on a robot? We examine whether we can detect people using only the incidental sounds they produce as they move, even when they try to be quiet. We collect a robotic dataset of high-quality 4-channel audio paired…