The Embodied Cognition paradigm: a novel approach to advancing Human-Robot Collaboration research

Recent developments in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) have moved beyond reactive, preprogrammed robot responses, aiming instead for collaborative systems where robots actively anticipate and adapt to human actions. By integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots can now interpret a range of human signals, enhancing the naturalness of interactions and making communication in industrial environments more intuitive. This evolution has expanded research to consider the cognitive aspects of robots. In industrial contexts, Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in shared physical workspaces has been extensively studied from the perspective of the human operator. However, there is a notable lack of research on the mutual cognition in interaction between humans and robots, who can act as a whole, intelligent system. This paper aims to explore the ontological foundations first and, then, the epistemological knowledge regarding the emerging patterns of evolved forms of HRC in industrial contexts involving physically shared workspaces. Starting from the concept of embodied cognition, the authors introduce and define the Human-Robot Embodiment (HRE) paradigm. HRE descriptors allow for evaluating, both in the design and operations, the degree of mutual embodiment. Also, the HRE approach benefits are discussed in terms of workplace safety and ergonomics, task performance, and reliability.