Group Interactions with Robots in a Robotics Tournament

In a dynamic environment that involves multiple humans and multiple robots, competitive and collaborative work, and high time pressure, understanding how team players interact with each other and with teleoperated robots has a significant potential to improve human–robot team performance. This study used a naturalistic observation method to explore group interactions with robots during a qualifying robotics tournament. Teams of high school students had six weeks to design, build, and program a robot that plays a field game against other robots. In each match, three robot teams played collaboratively as an alliance against the other three-team alliance, gaining points by defending their stronghold and conquering the opponent’s stronghold. The study identified five areas where groups interacted with robots in a typical tournament (e.g., pit, queuing hall, and match field) and major team roles (e.g., mechanical, programming, electrical work, marketing, and driving). Critical group interactions with robots were captured in several situations, varying according to activity areas and individuals’ roles on their robotic teams. Potential cognitive and emotional issues, future research directions, and implications of the study were discussed.