Being Transparent about Transparency: A Model for Human-Robot Interaction

The current paper discusses the concept of human-robot interaction through the lens of a model depicting the key elements of robot-to-human and robot-of-human transparency. Robot-to-human factors represent information that the system (which includes the robot but is broader than just the robot) needs to present to users before, during, or after interactions. Robot-of-human variables are factors relating the human (or the interactions with the human; i.e., teamwork) that the system needs to communicate an awareness of to the users. The paper closes with some potentials design implications for the various transparency domains to include: training and the human-robot interface (including social design, feedback, and display design).