Mr.LfD: A Mixed Reality Interface for Robot Learning from Demonstration

Learning from Demonstration (LfD) plays a crucial role in human-robot interaction (HRI), enabling humans to teach robots desired behaviours by demonstration. Advances in mixed reality (MR) have introduced novel HRI techniques that overcome physical constraints and offer immersive experiences. However, MR integration with LfD remains under explored. We present Mr.LfD, an MR interface for robot LfD that supports kinesthetic teaching and teleoperation, enhanced by 3D visualisations of the robot's status, while using hand-tracking for real-time control. A user study measured performance through completion time and attempts, with questionnaires for feedback. Participants found our MR teleoperation interface more user-friendly than kinesthetic teaching. We found that the robot status visualisation effectively bridged the information gap, enhancing communication and maintaining user focus on the robot. We envision potential for implementing and extending Mr.LfD, and illuminate future research directions.