Evaluation of Passing Distance for Social Robots

Casual encounters with mobile robots for non-experts can be a challenge due to lack of an interaction model. The present work is based on the rules from proxemics which are used to design a passing strategy. In narrow corridors the lateral distance of passage is a key parameter to consider. An implemented system has been used in a small study to verify the basic parametric design for such a system. In total 10 subjects evaluated variations in proxemics for encounters with a robot in a corridor setting. The user feedback indicates that entering the intimate sphere of people is less comfortable, however a too significant avoidance is also considered unnecessary. Adequate signaling of avoidance is a behaviour that must be carefully tuned.