Socially Compliant Human-Robot Interaction for Autonomous Scanning Tasks in Supermarket Environments

In this paper, we present a system for socially aware robot navigation for a wide range of service tasks in supermarkets. It comprises modules for real-time person detection and tracking to gain situation awareness, modules to react to situations, and means for human-robot communication. The technical performance of the situation awareness was evaluated in a shelf out-of-stock (SOOS) detection scenario under real-world conditions in a supermarket in Germany. Furthermore, in order to investigate whether and to what extent our social navigation strategy can improve the acceptance and application of a mobile service robot in a supermarket, we have conducted surveys with N = 60 participants and usability tests with N =8 participants during a three-day field test. We can show that a robot for SOOS detection operating in a supermarket during the opening hours is generally accepted by customers and that the integration of a real-time person perception is crucial, especially for keeping appropriate distances to persons and for improving user-centered communication. Furthermore, our results indicate that various communication channels (e.g. speech, a video projector, and LED lights) are beneficial in order to address a wider user group in the targeted supermarket setting.