Social Robots for Long-Term Space Missions

Socially assistive robots (SARs) contribute to task success by supporting humans through verbal information and guidance, while reducing task load through social mechanisms, e.g., human-intuitive mimics and gestures. In this paper, we present two novel interaction scenarios using such robots that could lead to assistance on long-term missions in space. The first addresses physical exercise, which is known to be essential on such missions. Here, a robot takes the role of an exercise companion, providing helpful pacing and feedback information based on physiological and visual analysis. The second addresses cognitive exercise and fun, through a cognitive game, in order to analyze and positively influence psychological aspects, such as mood, which can be affected by isolation. A big open question is how such robots will fare in longer interactions, and under stressful conditions such as isolation. Therefore, we will conduct a three-week terrestrial isolation study using the abovementioned scenarios, to gather insights leading towards applicability of SARs in space. We describe the concepts and current abilities of both interaction systems in detail and report first results of interaction studies inside these scenarios.