Human-machine symbiosis: A multivariate perspective for physically coupled human-machine systems

The notion of symbiosis has been increasingly mentioned in research on physically coupled human-machine systems. Yet, a uniform specification on which aspects constitute human-machine symbiosis is missing. By combining the expertise of different disciplines, we elaborate on a multivariate perspective of symbiosis as the highest form of interaction in physically coupled human-machine systems, characterized by a of the human and the machine. Four dimensions are considered: Task, interaction, performance, and experience. First, human and machine accomplish a common objective by completing tasks conceptualized on a decomposition, a decision and an action level (task dimension). Second, each partner possesses an internal representation of the