Projection-Aware Task Planning and Execution for Human-in-the-Loop Operation of Robots in a Mixed-Reality Workspace

Recent advances in mixed-reality technologies have renewed interest in alternative modes of communication for human-robot interaction. However, most of the work in this direction has been confined to tasks such as teleoperation, simulation or explication of individual actions of a robot. In this paper, we will discuss how the capability to project intentions affect the task planning capabilities of a robot. Specifically, we will start with a discussion on how projection actions can be used to reveal information regarding the future intentions of the robot at the time of task execution. We will then pose a new planning paradigm - projection-aware planning - whereby a robot can trade off its plan cost with its ability to reveal its intentions using its projection actions. We will demonstrate each of these scenarios with the help of a joint human-robot activity using the HoloLens.