Improving Robot Transparency: An Investigation With Mobile Augmented Reality

Autonomous robots can be difficult to understand by their developers, let alone by end users. Yet, as they become increasingly integral parts of our societies, the need for affordable easy to use tools to provide transparency grows. The rise of the smartphone and the improvements in mobile computing performance have gradually allowed Augmented Reality (AR) to become more mobile and affordable. In this paper we review relevant robot systems architecture and propose a new software tool to provide robot transparency through the use of AR technology. Our new tool, ABOD3-AR provides real-time graphical visualisation and debugging of a robot’s goals and priorities as a means for both designers and end users to gain a better mental model of the internal state and decision making processes taking place within a robot. We also report on our on-going research programme and planned studies to further understand the effects of transparency to naive users and experts.