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Development and Validation of a Robust Speech Interface for Improved Human-Robot Interaction

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Abstract

Robotics technology has made progress on a number of important issues in the last decade. However many challenges remain when it comes to the development of systems for human-robot interaction. This paper presents a case study featuring a robust dialogue interface for human-robot communication onboard an intelligent wheelchair. Underlying this interface is a sophisticated software architecture which allows the chair to perform real-time, robust tracking of the dialogue state, as well as select appropriate responses using rich probabilistic representations. The paper also examines the question of rigorous validation of complex human-robot interfaces by evaluating the proposed interface in the context of a standardized rehabilitation task domain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science, McGill University, McConnell Engineering Building, Rm 318, Montreal, PQ, Canada

    Amin Atrash, Robert Kaplow, Julien Villemure, Robert West, Hiba Yamani & Joelle Pineau

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  1. Amin Atrash
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  2. Robert Kaplow
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  3. Julien Villemure
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  4. Robert West
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  5. Hiba Yamani
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  6. Joelle Pineau
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Correspondence to Joelle Pineau.

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Atrash, A., Kaplow, R., Villemure, J. et al. Development and Validation of a Robust Speech Interface for Improved Human-Robot Interaction. Int J of Soc Robotics 1, 345–356 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-009-0032-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-009-0032-4

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