Sonification to Increase Trust and Improve UX in Human-Robot Interaction

Research shows sound to play a vital role within human-robot interaction. A robot’s sound influences both expectations towards its behavior as well as assessments of its performance. For instance, simply by adding sound to a robot, it is possible to increase its perceived movement quality and perceptions of its precision and controllability.

In this innovation collaboration project, we will explore the potential of adding designed sound to the movements and select actions of a robot arm. We focus specifically both on uses of robot arms within collaborative work settings (for example warning or state informing sound played in human proximity) and in applications wherein a human user is in direct physical contact with the end tool, e.g., medical diagnostics (auditory feedback during robotic scanning). Within these applications, an adequate level of trust in the robot’s abilities is required, as a successful outcome depends on the user’s ability to remain calm and composed during the interaction. Based on prior research, we hypothesize that a fitting sound design can contribute to this end and may help improve the user experience and ultimately yield a more successful robot use.