“Noisy” Matching of Motion Velocity of an Assistive Robot to the Users' Walking Velocity

This study investigates the impact of dynamic matching of robot motion velocity to users' walking velocity in a human-robot approach scenario on three categories: perceived comfort, interactivity, and naturalness. Considering age diversity, participants were divided into two age groups. Young participants tended to rate higher for all three categories when the robot's approaching velocity was dynamically matched. In contrast, elderly participants preferred a steady and slow robot approach for comfort and predictability. These findings contribute to the ongoing effort to design assistive robots that effectively cater to diverse user groups, ultimately enhancing user satisfaction and acceptance. Taken together, this study highlights the importance of dynamically tailoring robot behaviors based on user demographics for positive Human-Robot Interactions.