Won’t You Be My Robot?

As service robots become more prevalent, researchers explore human-robot encounters

In the ever-changing world of technology, robots are increasingly being integrated into our lives from robotic vacuum cleaners to drones to self-driving cars. But, how comfortable are we really with robots?

“Our goal is to better understand human- robot coexistence,” said Luis Sentis, who leads the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. “It’s not just about the robots, it’s about the services they can provide.”

This focus on public utility is what matters most to Sentis and his team. They are creating robots designed to serve the community—whether delivering supplies in hospitals or providing directions to someone lost on a college campus.

In 2023, Sentis launched a study focused on what it takes to create, safely operate , and maintain this type of robot and functionality, while also adapting with the people who live and work around it.

Nearly two years into the project, some interesting observations are emerging. Essential to people feeling comfortable with robots are trust, a sense of safety, predictability, sense-making, and familiarity.

As more data is collected, new questions are arisng: How do we ensure everyone is fairly served by robots, considering accessibility and social and racial bias? What ethical considerations need to be taken into account?

“These datasets are multidisciplinary and multi-modal. They reflect complex experiments involving robots and human subjects,” said Maria Esteva in TACC’s Data Intensive Computing group.

“We are learning an incredible amount about how to best curate and publish the data so other researchers can train robots based on the deliverables of this project.”

In time, service robots will become more prevalent in community settings. This team’s research promises to become the most extensive data about human-robot encounters to date.