Investigating Breakdowns in Human Robot Interaction: A Conversation Analysis Guided Single Case Study of a Human-NAO Communication in a Museum Environment

in International Journal of Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, Mechatronic and Manufacturing Engineering (2017), 11(5), 839-845

In a single case study, we show how a conversation analysis (CA) approach can shed light onto the sequential unfolding of human-robot interaction. Relying on video data, we are able to show that CA allows ... [more ▼]

In a single case study, we show how a conversation analysis (CA) approach can shed light onto the sequential unfolding of human-robot interaction. Relying on video data, we are able to show that CA allows us to investigate the respective turn-taking systems of humans and a NAO robot in their dialogical dynamics, thus pointing out relevant differences. Our fine grained video analysis points out occurring breakdowns and their overcoming when humans and a NAO-robot engage in a multimodally uttered multi-party communication during a sports guessing game. Our findings suggest that interdisciplinary work opens up the opportunity to gain new insights into the challenging issues of human robot communication in order to provide resources for developing mechanisms that enable complex HRI. [less ▲]

Privacy Challenges in Ambient Intelligence Systems

in Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments (2016)

Today, privacy is a key concept. It is also one which is rapidly evolving with technological advances, and there is no consensus on a single definition for it. In fact, the concept of privacy has been ... [more ▼]

Today, privacy is a key concept. It is also one which is rapidly evolving with technological advances, and there is no consensus on a single definition for it. In fact, the concept of privacy has been defined in many different ways, ranging from the “right to be left alone” to being a “commodity” that can be bought and sold. In the same time, powerful Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems are being developed, that deploy context-aware, personalised, adaptive and anticipatory services. In such systems personal data is vastly collected, stored, and distributed, making privacy preservation a critical issue. The human- centred focus of AmI systems has prompted the introduction of new kinds of technologies, e.g. Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET), and methodologies, e.g. Privacy by Design (PbD), whereby privacy concerns are included in the design of the system. One particular application field, where privacy preservation is of critical importance is Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). Emerging from the continuous increase of the ageing population, AAL focuses on intelligent systems of assistance for a better, healthier and safer life in their living environment. In this paper, we first build on our previous work, in which we introduced a new tripartite categorisation of privacy as a right, an enabler, and a commodity. Second, we highlight the specific privacy issues raised in AAL. Third, we review and discuss current approaches for privacy preservation. Finally, drawing on lessons learned from AAL, we provide insights on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Part of our methodology is a statistical analysis performed on the IEEE publications database. We illustrate our work with AAL scenarios elaborated in cooperation with the city of Luxembourg. [less ▲]

Conviviality-driven access control policy

in Requirements Engineering (2015), 20(4), 363-382

Nowadays many organizations experience security incidents due to unauthorized access to information. To reduce the risk of such incidents, security policies are often employed to regulate access to ... [more ▼]

Nowadays many organizations experience security incidents due to unauthorized access to information. To reduce the risk of such incidents, security policies are often employed to regulate access to information. Such policies, however, are often too restrictive, and users do not have the rights necessary to perform assigned duties. As a consequence, access control mechanisms are perceived by users as a barrier and thus bypassed, making the system insecure. In this paper, we draw a bridge between the social concept of conviviality and access control. Conviviality has been introduced as a social science concept for ambient intelligence and multi-agent systems to highlight soft qualitative requirements like user-friendliness of systems. To bridge the gap between conviviality and security, we propose a methodological framework for updating and adapting access control policies based on conviviality recommendations. Our methodology integrates and extends existing techniques to assist system designers in the derivation of access control policies from socio-technical requirements of the system, while taking into account the conviviality of the system. We illustrate our framework using the Ambient Assisted Living use case from the HotCity of Luxembourg. © 2014, Springer-Verlag London. [less ▲]

Computing coalitions in Multiagent Systems, A contextual reasoning approach

in European Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, Prague 18-19 December 2014 (2014, December 18)

In multiagent systems, agents often have to rely on other agents to reach their goals, for example when they lack a needed resource or do not have the capability to perform a required action. Agents there ... [more ▼]

In multiagent systems, agents often have to rely on other agents to reach their goals, for example when they lack a needed resource or do not have the capability to perform a required action. Agents there- fore need to cooperate. Some of the questions then raised, such as, which agent to cooperate with, are addressed in the field of coalition formation. In this paper we go further and first, address the question of how to com- pute the solution space for the formation of coalitions using a contextual reasoning approach. We model agents as contexts in Multi-Context Systems (MCS) and dependence relations among agents as bridge rules. We then systematically compute all potential coalitions using algorithms for MCS equilibria. Finally, given a set of functional and non-functional requirements, we propose ways to select the best solutions. We illustrate our approach with an example from robotics. [less ▲]

A MCS-based methodology for computing coalitions in Multirobot Systems

in Cognitive Robotics (2014)

We introduce a new methodology to systematically com- pute all possible coalitions among the robots of a multirobot system using the model and algorithms of Multi-Context Systems (MCS).

Information Dependencies in MCS: Conviviality-Based Model and Metrics

in 16th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS (PRIMA 2013) (2013, December 01)

Combining Norms, Roles, Dependence and Argumentation in Agreement Technologies

in AAA' 13. International Workshop on Argument for Agreement and Assurance, Kanagawa, Japan, Oct. 27-28. (2013, October 27)

A major challenge for Agreement Technologies is the combination of existing technologies and rea- soning methods. In this paper we focus on the three core layers of the Agreement Technologies tower ... [more ▼]

A major challenge for Agreement Technologies is the combination of existing technologies and rea- soning methods. In this paper we focus on the three core layers of the Agreement Technologies tower, called Norms, Organization and Argumentation. We present a framework for arguing about agreements based on norms, roles and dependence, together with a case study from the sharing economy. [less ▲]

R-CoRe: A Rule-based Contextual Reasoning Platform for AmI

in Joint Proceedings of the 7th International Rule Challenge, the Special Track on Human Language Technology and the 3rd RuleML Doctoral Consortium hosted at the 8th International Symposium on Rules (RuleML2013) (2013, July)

In this paper we present R-CoRe; a rule-based contextual reasoning platform for Ambient Intelligence environments. R-CoRe integrates Contextual Defeasible Logic (CDL) and Kevoree, a component-based ... [more ▼]

In this paper we present R-CoRe; a rule-based contextual reasoning platform for Ambient Intelligence environments. R-CoRe integrates Contextual Defeasible Logic (CDL) and Kevoree, a component-based software platform for Dynamically Adaptive Systems. Previously, we explained how this integration enables to overcome several reasoning and technical issues that arise from the imperfect nature of context knowledge, the open and dynamic nature of Ambient Intelligence environments, and the restrictions of wireless communications. Here, we focus more on technical aspects related to the architecture of R-Core, and demonstrate its use in Ambient Assisted Living. [less ▲]

Visual Notation Design 2.0: Towards User-Comprehensible RE Notations

in Proceedings of the 21st IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (2013)

The success of requirements engineering depends critically on effective communication between business analysts and end users, yet empirical studies show that business stakeholders understand RE notations ... [more ▼]

The success of requirements engineering depends critically on effective communication between business analysts and end users, yet empirical studies show that business stakeholders understand RE notations very poorly. This paper proposes a novel approach to designing RE visual notations that actively involves naïve users in the process. We use i*, one of the most influential RE notations, to demonstrate the approach, but the same approach could be applied to any RE notation. We present the results of 5 related empirical studies that show that novices consistently outperform experts in designing symbols that are comprehensible to novices: the differences are both statistically significant and practically meaningful. Symbols designed by novices increased semantic transparency (their ability to be spontaneously interpreted by other novices) by almost 300% compared to the existing i* notation. The results challenge the conventional wisdom about visual notation design: that it should be conducted by a small group of experts; our research suggests that instead it should be conducted by large numbers of novices. This approach is consistent with principles of Web 2.0, in that it harnesses the collective intelligence of end users and actively involves them in the notation design process as “prosumers” rather than as passive consumers. We believe this approach has the potential to radically change the way visual notations are designed in the future. [less ▲]

Diagram Analysis Report: Use Cases for Conviviality and Privacy in Ambient Intelligent Systems

Report (2012)