Signaling Robot State with Light Attributes

Abstract

Light is a visual signaling mechanism that can be used for non-verbal robot-human communication. In our work, we are interested in examining how different attributes of light can be used to convey a variety of robot state information to proximal humans. To do this, we developed an interactive design tool to simulate static and dynamic light signals. With this tool, we conducted a participatory design study in which designers were asked to create light signals for 16 robot states. The results showed the possibility of employing dynamic attributes to enhance human awareness of robot state, rather than merely the state itself.