Approaching Humans For Help: A Study of Human-Robot Proxemics

In order for a robot to be effective when interacting with a person, it is important for the robot to choose the correct person. Consider an example where a robot is trying to perform a task but it isn’t capable of doing a subtask, like going up a flight of stairs. In this case, the robot would need to ask a person for help with the elevator, in a socially appropriate way. We have conducted an experiment to determine who would be the best candidate to approach in a situation like this. Should the robot choose to approach someone who is very close, with the risk that the person may have already committed to passing? Or someone who is further away, which could result in the person not noticing the robot at all. Our hypothesis is there is some optimal distance that is not too close nor too far away. We tried approaching from different distances to see which distance led to the most successful interactions. The result provide guidance for developers of autonomous robots who need a robot to approach someone for help