Human–robot interaction is a sub-field of HCI for the study and design of situations where robots operate alongside humans. In some cases these may be semi-independent, for example humans and robots in a warehouse, performing different tasks, but occasionally needing to avoid one anohter. In others the interaction may be the main purpose of the robot, notably companion robots. Physical interactions have to be particularly carefully designed, both for the safety of the humans and avoiding damage to the robots.
Also known as: human-robotic interaction