Robotic interaction via path planning - A viewpoint from functionalist sociology

The paper seeks the sociological relevance which is created by an intelligent agent from sociological aspect. As known, the services from an intelligent agent maintains a certain social function as a part of human-robot interaction (HRI). The study thus uses a mobile agent to elaborate the fact. The mobile robotics, though developing rapidly, lacks still a clarification of the social function which the agent can achieve by its mobility. This study confirms first the value of agent navigation of providing a service, and recognizes the navigation as one part of the interaction during the service. The core technique of this kind of robotic interaction monitors the dynamic changes of environment, provides an adequate route plan to reach the goal service, and reacts properly the environmental changes during approaching the goal. The study then examines social need of this kind of navigation from the aspect of structural functionalism. Although navigations corresponding to human beings' needs would differ from case to case in providing services, the interactions in this regard are consistently matching a topic of dynamic path planning. A dynamic path replanner is thus the core technique to accomplish such kinds of social work. A case of nursing home was taken as a simulation example to examine the sociological relevance. Scenarios of service providing in the nursing home were explored and prevailed over by the D* lite path replanner. The simulation confirms significantly the social value of a mobile agent with its ability in path planning for service providing.