Using Virtual Reality Simulations in Safety-Critical Human Computer Interaction

Virtual reality (VR) simulations have proven to be a crucial tool in offering a safe environment to test interactions between robots and human subjects in experiments. This paper describes the design and cration of such a VR simulation as part of the development of the CityBot, a self-driving modular vehicle with an interactive avatar that supports gesture and speech control. When such robotic systems are at an early stage of development they would pose a security risk if tested with human subjects in reality. To simulate gesture and speech control and gain an understanding of the users’ hand movements and usage of speech in a safe manner, we decided to implement a VR simulation. A central technical requirement was to utilize standalone VR headsets based on the Android operating system that support hand tracking, microphone input, remote controllability and different options of movement compatible with these interactions. Implementing said interactions with the Wizard of Oz method enables early evaluation of human robot interaction without putting the testers in harm’s way.