Preserving Sense of Agency: User Preferences for Robot Autonomy and User Control across Household Tasks

Area of Science:

• Human-Robot Interaction
• Assistive Robotics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Roboticists often assume full autonomy for assistive robots.
• User preference for high robot autonomy is unclear and may reduce the sense of agency.
• Understanding user control preferences is crucial for effective in-home robot design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how robot autonomy levels affect users' sense of agency.
• To determine user preferences for robot autonomy in varying risk contexts.
• To explore factors influencing user control and trust in assistive robots.

Main Methods:

• Participants rated their sense of agency across four robot autonomy levels.
• Participants ranked robot preferences for various household tasks.
• Contextual factors like risk and third-party involvement were manipulated.

Main Results:

• Sense of agency was influenced by robot autonomy and third-party involvement.
• End-user programmed robots maintained high user agency, even when autonomous.
• In high-risk scenarios, users preferred significantly more control over robot actions.

Conclusions:

• User preferences for robot autonomy are nuanced and context-dependent.
• Direct user programming enhances agency, but risk mitigation is paramount in critical situations.
• Trust in operators and task-specific risks significantly shape user expectations for robot control.