Yang and Robert: Are you ready to trust robots?

The age of the robot may be upon us. From self-driving vehicles, robots on production lines, companion robots, and drones, huge strides in robotic systems have been made over the past decades. 

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or ASME, reports on how to build trust in robotic systems. Along with technological breakthroughs, researchers are also thinking about the psychological aspects of human-robot interactions. 

“Our primary focus is on investigating how we can create processes that will build trust in these systems, rather than just building the technologies themselves,” says Xi Jessie Yang, University of Michigan assistant professor of information and industrial and operations engineering. 

One of these emerging robotic systems is autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars. Lionel Robert, associate professor of information at University of Michigan School of Information, studies the interactions between pedestrians and autonomous vehicle systems. 

ASME reports that the key is to make pedestrians feel safe — but not too safe — around driverless vehicles. Roberts says that in their research, they found that “pedestrians trusted vehicles that adopted the slower, more defensive driving style,” versus aggressive driving. 

Read “Are You Ready to Trust Robotic Systems?” on asme.org.

Learn more about Assistant Professor Xi Jessie Yang and Associate Professor Lionel Robert.