Neuroscientifically-grounded research for improved human-robot interaction

Abstract

The present study highlights the benefits of using well-controlled experimental designs, grounded in experimental psychology research and objective neuroscientific methods, for generating progress in human-robot interaction (HRI) research. In this study, we implemented a well-studied paradigm of attentional cueing through gaze (the so-called “joint attention” or “gaze cueing”) in an HRI protocol involving the iCub robot. We replicated the standard phenomenon of joint attention both in terms of behavioral measures and event-related potentials of the EEG signal. Our methodology of combining neuroscience methods with an HRI protocol opens promising avenues both for a better design of robots which are to interact with humans, and also for increasing the ecological validity of research in social and cognitive neuroscience.