Investigating Human-Robot Interactions with a Quadruped Robot

Robots are becoming more prevalent in our daily lives. As robots become more common in society, we must understand how people react and interact with them. This study leverages Boston Dynamics' Spot robot to examine human responses to quadruped robots. Previous studies had Spot walking alongside participants at fixed speeds, independent of their gait. Improving upon this method, I developed a program that enables Spot to detect and follow fiducial markers (AprilTags). Using the Robot Operating System (ROS), the depth and position of the tag within the camera’s frame were extracted and translated into motion commands for the robot. The tag is attached to an apparatus on the hip that extends the tag near the subject’s knee, allowing Spot to track the participant’s trunk speed and maintain a consistent distance, offering a more adaptive walking experience. The program allows for variations in the acceleration, height, and camera selection (front/back, left/right) through a custom Graphical User Interface (GUI), allowing for diverse trial conditions. Extensive testing identified considerations to optimize the walking experience. Factors included gradual acceleration to allow Spot to react and maintain detections, and the set requirement to run only a single camera at a time for optimized processing. Additionally, keeping the tag unobstructed and square to the camera is critical to avoid failures in detection. Overall, Spot's new capabilities will assist in further studies of human and robot interactions.