Where Robot Looks Is Not Where Person Thinks Robot Looks

Abstract

For a robot to smoothly interact with humans, it has to possess the capability to manipulate human attention to a certain degree. In this study, we start with a hypothesis that humans cannot correctly perceive what a robot is looking at. To examine the hypothesis, an experiment, which focuses on the relationship between a robot’s geometrical gaze point and the gaze point perceived by a human, was conducted. The results of the experiment supported the hypothesis. Based on the results, we propose a computational model that calculates where robots are to look in order to guide human’s attention to the desired area. The validity of the proposed model was demonstrated by cross validation.