Fidelity & validity in robotic simulation

Abstract

This work assesses the relationship between common theoretical constructs involved in simulation design and evaluation. Specifically, the degree to which realism is a desired goal in design is examined through a thorough review of the available literature. It was found that, especially for training simulations, high fidelity does not always beget improved outcomes, and this finding was corroborated by the results of an experiment involving a simulated robot. In the within-subjects experiment, participants rated their trust in both live and simulated versions of a robot performing in both reliable and unreliable scenarios. As predicted, strong correlations in both the reliable and unreliable scenarios validate the RIVET simulation engine as a model for trust in HRI and provide further evidence that relatively low-fidelity simulations can sometimes be sufficient or superior to high-fidelity alternatives.