Factors Influencing The Human Preferred Interaction Distance Nonverbal interactions are a key component of human communication. Since robots have become significant by trying to get close to human beings, it is important that they follow social rules governing the use of space. Prior research has conceptualized personal space as physical zones which are based on static distances. This work examined how preferred interaction distance can change given different interaction scenarios. We conducted a user study using three different robot heights. We also examined the difference in preferred interaction distance when a robot approaches a human and, conversely, when a human approaches a robot. Factors included in quantitative analysis are the participantsxe2x80x99 gender, robotxe2x80x99s height, and method of approach. Subjective measures included human comfort and perceived safety. The results obtained through this study shows that robot height, participant gender and method of approach were significant factors influencing measured proxemic zones and accordingly participant comfort. Subjective data showed that experiment respondents regarded robots in a more favorable light following their participation in this study. Furthermore, the NAO was perceived most positively by respondents according to various metrics and the PR2 Tall, most negatively.

An Exploratory Study on Proxemics Preferences of Humans in Accordance with Attributes of Service Robots Service robots that possess social interactive capabilities are vital to cater to the demand in emerging domains of robotic applications. A service robot frequently needs to interact with users when performing service tasks. The comfortability of users depends on the humanrobot proxemics during these interactions. Hence, a service robot should be capable of maintaining proper proxemics that improves the comfort of users. The proxemics preferences of users might depend on diverse attributes of a robot, such as emotional state, noise level, and physical appearance. Therefore, it is vital to gain a better understanding of a robotxe2x80x99s attributes which influence humanrobot proxemics behavior. This paper contributes to an exploratory study to analyze the effects on humanrobot proxemics preferences due to a robotxe2x80x99s attributes; facial and vocal emotions, level of internal noises, and the physical appearance. Four substudies have been conducted to gather the required humanrobot proxemics data. The gathered data have been analyzed through statistical tests. The test statistics reveal that facial and vocal emotions, internal noise level, and the physical appearance of a robot have significant effects on proxemics preferences of humans. The outcomes of this exploratory study would be useful in designing and developing humanrobot proxemics strategies of a service robot that would enhance social interaction.