Issue link: https://htpgraphics.uberflip.com/i/1385717
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS // Exploring HRI by considering all aspects of that system – the humans, the robots, and the interactions/environments therein – necessitates a comprehensive understanding of why certain robots and technologies are good for particular situations, and why they might not be appropriate for others. This means realising how some systems can perform in other sectors. I would like to see future work tackling more agile approaches to robot and autonomous systems deployment, which uses the methods I develop to test systems in cross-sectoral contexts. Where are the overlaps between a robot deployed in the decommissioning lifecycle, and the use of robotics by the off-shore oil sector? How do we capitalise on agile technologies by comprehensively demonstrating why they are appropriate in more than one situation? Finally, I would like to see more holistic approaches to HRI research being elevated within academic and industrial collaboration. I want to more often see the question, What do we mean when we ask for optimal task performance from deployable technology? answered more frequently by prioritising the user. A piece of technology does not work without its user; it does not work outside of the social-construct in which it was placed to perform. The performance – mental, physical, environmental, emotional – of our users must be more often prioritised when assessing the performance of deployable technology. HUMAN ROBOT INTERACTION RAIN PROGRESS // Most recently I have been working with Jacobs Plc. discussing the lifecycle of the decommissioning process and developing routes to technology deployment at key strategic points. This has centred on the issue of benchmarking goals. A piece of assistive technology is often required to achieve optimal 'task performance' to be considered deployable. However, the phrase 'task performance' is not a case of which piece of kit performs fastest (for example), or which piece of kit a person rates as a 10, instead of a 2, when it transpires that the rating scale is considered differently between individuals. It is a case of understanding who is using what and why, and extrapolating from that what is then best for certain tasks. If speed is a benchmark, but so is safety, what is the optimal speed to aim for in HRI task performance assessment, whilst simultaneously being the safest given how an operator is responding to the use/presence of a 'robot'? By accounting for both the issues being faced by operators, as well as inspectors focused on (for example) risk mitigation, alongside equipment-specific assessment, task performance analysis can be conducted which better approaches a true optimal performance benchmark. 17 Or taking theories in human-human work-psychology to understand how users adapt to the introduction of robotic tools in their workplace, when the tool has certain levels of semi-autonomy. Within the RAIN Hub my work has also found itself applied across all the major themes and sub-projects. I am often asked to comment on or collaborate with individuals and teams beyond my immediate group, from both academic and industry partners. Thus, aside from my more immediate research, I also offer high-level insight if required. Drawing on my broad skillset as an HRI expert, and my knowledge of the sites and technologies in play within RAIN and by our project partners, I am able to look at how a particular piece of equipment will feasibly be deployable when both the humans and the desired interaction - and the broader issues of regulation when a human is working alongside a robot - is also considered.