The Effects of Robot Motion on Comfort Dynamics of Novice Users in Close-Proximity Human-Robot Interaction

Effective and fluent close-proximity human-robot interaction requires understanding how humans get habituated to robots and how robot motion affects human comfort. While prior work has identified humans' preferences over robot motion characteristics and studied their influence on comfort, we are yet to understand how novice first-time robot users get habituated to robots and how robot motion impacts the dynamics of comfort over repeated interactions. To take the first step towards such understanding, we carry out a user study to investigate the connections between robot motion and user comfort and habituation. Specifically, we study the influence of workspace overlap, end-effector speed, and robot motion legibility on overall comfort and its evolution over repeated interactions. Our analyses reveal that workspace overlap, in contrast to speed and legibility, has a significant impact on users' perceived comfort and habituation. In particular, lower workspace overlap leads to users reporting significantly higher overall comfort, lower variations in comfort, and fewer fluctuations in comfort levels during habituation.