April 1, 2023
This project aimed to build a demonstrator (human-like active listener) that provides positive non-verbal backchannels (e.g., nodding) to a human to test whether this type of behaviour can lead to overtrust and oversharing through a user study. The result will be an open source system for the TAS community to build robots with adequate human-like behaviours.
The project is part of the TAS (Trustworthy Autonomous Systems) Hub and is a collaboration between Heriot-Watt and Nottingham University PIed by me and Marta Romeo. A key element of this project is whether fluid human-like turn-taking can have a big impact on user experience, and when such fluid interaction may or may not be appropriate.