User centered design in practice: adapting HRI to real user needs

Here we present the methodological principles and technologies, which compose the backbone of designing the i-Walk platform Human Robot Interaction (HRI) environment. The reported work builds upon experience gained from previous engagement with development of the multimodal HRI communication model of the MOBOT assistive robotic rollator and its end-user evaluation, leading to our enhanced methodology for identifying and prioritizing user needs as applied in our current HRI design approach. Emphasis is placed on adopting multimodal communication patterns from actual human-human interaction in the context of mobility rehabilitation, which may enrich human-robot communication by increasing the naturalness in interaction from the side of the robotic device by adding more "human" characteristics both in respect to understanding and reaction capabilities of the robot.