IEEE SG on Metrology for Human-Robot Interaction

Research into human-robot interaction (HRI) has yielded innumerable advances in industrial, rehabilitative, medical, response, consumer, and service robot technologies.  Studies in software, hardware, and human psychology, physiology, and culture enable the evolution of robots that are more effective teammates, tutors, customer support, and companions.  However, it is not clear how many of these advancements have directly benefited from the research versus blind luck.  The multiple fields of HRI are disjointed in terms of consistent metrics and mechanisms for technology assessment, verification, and validation.  Paired with the constant tendency to rely on ad hoc measurements and custom equipment, HRI research repeatability and reproducibility is practically nonexistent.

This standards study group seeks to identify candidate key performance indicators of human-robot interaction (HRI) effectiveness, and to recommend the formation of working groups that may focus on developing the metrics and test methods by which HRI performance may be assessed.  Key proposed outputs include a roadmap toward HRI standards and a prioritized list of candidate standards topics for future working groups.  These standards will address multiple facets of the field of HRI research, including:
•    Communications
•    Effective teaming
•    Human factors
•    Situation and social awareness
•    Ease-of-use
•    Interface performance
•    Terminologies and taxonomies
•    Presence and embodiment and
•    Safety

The next virtual meeting is scheduled for 18 March, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT (GMT-4).  We welcome and invite all interested parties to participate.  

For information regarding joining this study group, or the meeting, contact Jeremy Marvel at jeremy.marvel [at] nist.gov (jeremy[dot]marvel[at]nist[dot]gov)