Concepts, Potentials, and Requirements

Understanding the embodiment of robotic devices and using this knowledge to improve human-robot interaction touches a variety of open research questions. A considerable body of research outlines the complexity and plasticity of human bodily experience. When examining robotic devices, which can be seen as “intelligent” tools, this challenge is getting even tougher due to the interaction of the involved agents. Beyond this, recent studies point out how the investigation of psychological fundamentals can benefit from using robotic devices for human-in-the-loop evaluation in return. This chapter conveys and discusses fundamental concepts and terminology of human body experience, aiming at accessibility for all concerned disciplines. Concepts of different body representations and the presence in virtual environments are presented along with fundamentals of human motor control and haptic perception. Based on those, perspective potentials in human-robot interaction are outlined with respect to control, sensing, feedback, and assessment. To support the design and application of human-in-the-loop approaches in fundamental research and engineering, the related literature is analyzed to determine and assess crucial design requirements.