NRI: Small: Assistive Robots for Blind Travelers

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

PI: Dias, M. Bernadine; Steinfeld, Aaron Proposal Number: 1317989 Summary: As robotics technology evolves to a stage where co-robots become a reality, we need to ensure they are equally capable of interacting with humans with disabilities. The proposed work addresses this challenge by exploring meaningful human-robot interaction in the context of assistive robots for blind travelers. For people with disabilities independent transportation remains a major barrier to employment and quality of life. Furthermore, emergency situations necessitating evacuation is one of the greatest fears they face. The key question we seek to answer in the proposed work is: what role can co-robots play in empowering people with disabilities to safely travel to and navigate unfamiliar environments? We hypothesize that co-robots can enhance the safety and independence of these travelers by assisting them to navigate unfamiliar urban environments effectively and providing support when evacuating. We begin our proposed work with a needs assessment to understand the preferences and challenges of blind travelers. The ultimate objective is to enhance the safety and independence of blind travelers. Intellectual Merit: The proposed work explores three principal research areas applied to three scenarios relevant to assistive robots for blind travelers: (1) information exchange and object manipulation, (2) assistive localization, and (3) urban navigation and emergency building evacuation. The research areas we plan to explore are accessible interfaces, assistive interaction modalities, and effective cooperation mechanisms. Envisioned scenarios include robots assisting humans to localize within necessary resolution and context using a combination of perception, robot localization, and crowdsourcing, robots assisting humans to retrieve lost or fallen objects or locate objects or people of interest, robots assisting humans to interact with other aspects of the environment such as reading notices, and robots assisting humans during emergency evacuation of buildings. We will also explore means of these travelers "teaching" the robots to do tasks of interest to them. The robots will have to reason intelligently about task allocation among themselves and coordinating with humans when needed. Overall, the proposed research will significantly advance the knowledge of how assistive robots can meaningfully and effectively interact with travelers with disabilities. The uniqueness of the proposed research is captured in the accessibility of the interfaces, the richness of the interaction modalities, and the flexibility and range of the cooperation mechanisms. The combination of these contributions will significantly advance the state of the art in assistive technology as well as human-robot interaction. Broader Impact: The team has a strong commitment to undergraduate research experience. Over 75% of the students mentored by the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator have been women, minorities, or people with disabilities. This commitment extends to the team's instructional activities. Team members regularly incorporate research findings into class presentations, guest lectures, and seminars. The team is also committed to community outreach. Both Dias and Steinfeld regularly speak to non-academics and will include aspects of this project in such talks. A final educational outcome will be several planned workshops at our partner organizations and the outcomes from the proposed work are expected to impact operations and methodologies used at these organizations. The assembled team of researchers and partner organizations further enhances the broader impact of this proposal. Principal Investigator Dias is one of the very few female robotics faculty members at the university and in the discipline. She is engaged in many mentoring and leadership activities to encourage and sustain the participation of women in computing and to address the needs of technologically underserved communities. The proposed team of undergraduate students, a graduate student, and a postdoctoral research assistant will also gain significant mentoring and education through their participation in this research. Industry interaction extends beyond regular contact due to faculty involvement in high profile centers. The research and evaluation program is specifically geared towards people with disabilities. Therefore, the contributions of the proposed work will make significant advancements towards realizing the vision of safe and independent travel for people with disabilities. The results of the proposed work will be disseminated broadly through a variety of avenues and all outcomes of the research will be made available in accessible formats to the community partners and their networks.