Beyond Task Performance: Human Experience in Human-Robot Collaboration

2025-05-07

AI Summary

This study investigates how automation level modulates subjective psychological experiences (flow, sense of agency, embodiment) and physiological metrics (grip force, heart rate variability [HRV]) in human–robot collaboration. In a simulated carpentry task, four controlled experimental conditions—spanning low to high automation—were systematically evaluated. Results demonstrate that medium automation achieves an optimal trade-off between support and autonomy, significantly enhancing all three subjective experiences; conversely, high automation improves task performance but diminishes sense of agency and flow. A novel finding reveals a robust positive correlation between grip force and sense of agency (p < 0.01), establishing grip force as a reliable real-time physiological proxy for agency; HRV showed no significant association. This work provides the first empirical validation of the “medium automation optimum” phenomenon and advocates integrating multimodal subjective–physiological measures into human-centered design and evaluation frameworks for collaborative robots.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Simulating Human Behavior

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Metrics for user behavior and evaluating success
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Data quality aspects of human-annotated datasets

Abstract

Human interaction experience plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of human-machine collaboration, especially as interactions in future systems progress towards tighter physical and functional integration. While automation design has been shown to impact task performance, its influence on human experience metrics such as flow, sense of agency (SoA), and embodiment remains underexplored. This study investigates how variations in automation design affect these psychological experience measures and examines correlations between subjective experience and physiological indicators. A user study was conducted in a simulated wood workshop, where participants collaborated with a lightweight robot under four automation levels. The results of the study indicate that medium automation levels enhance flow, SoA and embodiment, striking a balance between support and user autonomy. In contrast, higher automation, despite optimizing task performance, diminishes perceived flow and agency. Furthermore, we observed that grip force might be considered as a real-time proxy of SoA, while correlations with heart rate variability were inconclusive. The findings underscore the necessity for automation strategies that integrate human- centric metrics, aiming to optimize both performance and user experience in collaborative robotic systems

Problem

• Investigates automation design's impact on human psychological experience
• Examines correlations between subjective experience and physiological indicators
• Seeks optimal automation level balancing performance and user experience

Innovation

• Medium automation enhances flow and agency
• Grip force as real-time proxy for agency
• Human-centric metrics optimize robotic collaboration