Designing a Haptic Interface for Enhanced Non-Verbal Human-Robot Interaction: Integrating Heart and Lung Emotional Feedback

Abstract

Using non-verbal cues such as breathing and heartbeat signals as media for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) enables subtle exchanges between humans and robots beyond explicit verbal or visual cues. This study describes the development of a novel pneumatic haptic interface that replicates human breathing and heartbeat animations for a humanoid robot and investigates its application for enhancing non-verbal HRI. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of this haptic device and highlight the significance of non-verbal cues in conveying emotional states. Introducing the haptic interface as a means for delivering involuntary, non-verbal emotional signals significantly enhances human-robot interaction compared to using gestures alone.