TitleAn Experimental Eye-Tracking Study for the Design of a Context-Dependent Social Robot Blinking Model
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2014
Conference NameLiving Machines 2014
Pagination356-366
AuthorsZaraki, A, Dehkordi, MB, Mazzei, D, De Rossi, D
PublisherSpringer-Verlag
Conference LocationMilan, Italy, July 30 – August 1
KeywordsRobotics
Abstract

uman gaze and blinking behaviours have been recently considered, to empower humanlike robots to convey a realistic behaviour in a social human-robot interaction. This paper reports the findings of our investigation on human eye-blinking behaviour in relation to human gaze behaviour, in a human-human interaction. These findings then can be used to design a humanlike eye-blinking model for a social humanlike robot. In an experimental eye-tracking study, we showed to 11 participants, a 7-minute video of social interactions of two people, and collected their eye-blinking and gaze behaviours with an eye-tracker. Analysing the collected data, we measured information such as participants’ blinking rate, maximum and minimum blinking duration, number of frequent (multiple) blinking, as well as the participants’ gaze directions on environment. The results revealed that participants’ blinking rate in a social interaction are qualitatively correlated to the gaze behaviour, as higher number of gaze shift increased the blinking rate. Based on the findings of this study, we can propose a context-dependent blinking model as an important component of the robot’s gaze control system that can empower our robot to mimic human blinking behaviour in a multiparty social interaction.

URLhttp://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-09435-9_31
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-09435-9_31