The human intention. A taxonomy attempt and its applications to robotics

2026-02-17

AI Summary

This work addresses a critical limitation in current robotics research, which often reduces human intention to simplistic task objectives while overlooking its inherently multidimensional nature. To bridge this gap, the study proposes a structured framework for classifying human intentions by systematically integrating insights from psychology and communication theory. The framework is applied to canonical human–robot interaction scenarios, including collaborative search and object transportation. By mapping diverse robotic approaches onto this taxonomy, the research empirically demonstrates that modeling intention across multiple dimensions significantly enhances collaborative performance. These findings provide both a theoretical foundation and methodological guidance for designing more human-centered robotic systems that effectively interpret and respond to the nuanced spectrum of human intent.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine Teams
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Simulating Human Behavior

Application Category

• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Research challenges in human and human-AI computation

Abstract

Despite a surge in robotics research dedicated to inferring and understanding human intent, a universally accepted definition remains elusive since existing works often equate human intention with specific task-related goals. This article seeks to address this gap by examining the multifaceted nature of intention. Drawing on insights from psychology, it attempts to consolidate a definition of intention into a comprehensible framework for a broader audience. The article classifies different types of intention based on psychological and communication studies, offering guidance to researchers shifting from pure technical enhancements to a more human-centric perspective in robotics. It then demonstrates how various robotics studies can be aligned with these intention categories. Finally, through in-depth analyses of collaborative search and object transport use cases, the article underscores the significance of considering the diverse facets of human intention.

Problem

• human intention
• robotics
• intention taxonomy
• human-robot interaction
• intention definition

Innovation

• human intention
• taxonomy
• human-centered robotics
• intention classification
• collaborative robotics