Toward Encouraging User Autonomy in Socially Assistive Human-Robot Interaction

Many of the domains where socially assistive robotics (SAR) can aid people involve the mastery of actions that promote well-being, or health behaviors, by individuals with chronic conditions or disorders. In-home and in-classroom robots can teach new behaviors, encourage generalized learning, and promote patient autonomy that persists beyond the robot-aided intervention. For the near future, it is practical to develop methods and algorithms that anticipate the robot’s limited time with the user, and incorporate it into models of social interactions that encourage user autonomy. The occupational therapy technique of graded cueing provides a framework for appropriately challenging feedback that can be incorporated into a SAR interaction.