What happens when humans meet robots? Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Visitors to the Queensland University of Technology last weekend got an opportunity to witness how they might interact with autonomous cars in the future with a demonstration of Shared Space Bots.

As part of the World Science Festival in Brisbane, the University teamed up with Austrian art and technology researchers Ars Electronica Futurelab to bring six floor robots to the campus as part of an ongoing research cooperation between Ars Electronica Futurelab and Mercedes-Benz on the topic of future mobility.

Jonathan Parsons, who has directed QUT’s Robotronica program, said the displays would provided a real world context for the shared space program.

“The Shared Space Bots are proxies for autonomous cars in this installation that is all about how future human-car communication will unfold,” Parsons said.

“The Bots communicate with their environment through light and audio signals and also by their movements giving us a clear indication of the way RoboCars will communicate with us in the future."

However, he said effective communication needs to be a two-way street and the program also enabled members of the audience to ‘converse’ with the bots via their movements and positioning devices that define bot-free spaces.

Mr Parsons said various scenarios involving a number of different human-robot interactions would be played out.

“Ars Electronica Futurelab is essentially developing a new language for communication between human and robot,” he said.

“This isn’t about pre-programming a robot to do a certain task or drive a particular course from A to B. It’s about how autonomous cars will be able to let human road users know what they intend to do, how they will understand what humans intend to do on the road and how they will respond to the unexpected.

He said the tailored presentation and interactive performance gave people a unique glimpse into a future.

“Vehicles like these will not only take people to where they want to go, they will also provide an innovative web-connected digital space for work or leisure and enable passengers to turn driver at the touch of a button.”

 

Photo: QUT