How can we use sound and music to create rich and engaging human-robot interactions? A growing body of HRI research explores the many ways in which sound affects human-robot interactions and although some studies conclude with tentative design recommendations, there are, to our knowledge, no generalised design recommendations for the robot sound design process. We address this gap by first investigating sound design frameworks in the domains of product sound design and film sound to see whether practices and concepts from these areas contain actionable insights for the creation of robot sound. We then present three case studies, detailed examinations of the sound design of commercial social robots Cozmo and Vector, Jibo, and Kuri, facilitated by expert interviews with the robots’ sound designers. Combining insights from the design frameworks and case studies, we propose nine candidate design principles for robot sound which provide (1) a design-oriented perspective on robot sound that may inform future research, and (2) actionable guidelines for designers, engineers and decision-makers aiming to use sound to create richer and more refined human-robot interactions.
Robot sound spans a wide continuum, from subtle motor hums, through music, bleeps and bloops, to human-inspired vocalizations, and can be an important means of communication for robotic agents. This first workshop on sound in HRI aims to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives on sound, including design, conversation analysis, (computational) linguistics, music, engineering and psychology. The goal of the workshop is to stimulate interdisciplinary exchange and to form a more coherent overview of perspectives on how sound can facilitate human-robot interaction. During the half-day workshop, we will explore (1) the diverse application opportunities of sound in human-robot interaction, (2) strategies for designing sonic human-robot interactions, and (3) methodologies for the evaluation of robot sound. Workshop outcomes will be documented on a dedicated website and are planned to be collected in a special issue.
CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Human computer interaction (HCI); Auditory feedback.
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