Gaze-based interaction for effective tutoring with social robots

Abstract

The central thesis of this work is that effective gaze behavior can help build a shared understanding and mutual awareness between humans and robots, leading to positive outcomes in a tutoring interaction. Gaze behavior is an essential cue for social engagement and coordinated action, principally for tasks that imply human-robot collaboration, such as tutoring. The work presented in this dissertation is a compilation of findings from three empirical studies designed to explore the design space of gaze-based interaction to enrich human-robot interaction in educational settings where robots assume tutor or trainer roles.