MinDrone

Understanding process components of Theory of the Artificial Mind- the case of Indoor Drone-Logistics

The integration of drones into logistics and warehousing has been gaining increasing interest. However, drones are not yet effectively utilized alongside or in interaction with humans within industries. One contributing factor, aside from the need for safety regulations, is the lack of experiences and knowledge about how humans trust, distrust or over trust drones in the workplace. There is a pressing need to comprehensively understand the process of trust calibration and to identify the key factors essential for developing calibrated trust between humans and drones.

Project Goal: The goal of the project is to conceptualize trust in human-machine interactions and lay foundations for “Theory of Artificial Mind (ToAM)” within the context of everyday work scenarios. This project aims to understand the process of trust calibration over time and the elements that the ToAM should encompass, considering the perspectives of consumers, workers and intelligent systems.

For example, envision a newly hired worker in a logistics centre. At the entrance, a drone greets the worker. The drone provides guidance and shows him/her specific aisles and shelfs. Throughout this process, the drone must navigate without collisions and anticipate the movements of other objects or persons in motion.

Implementation: In a specially designed indoor logistics scenario, 20 participants take on the role of the worker, who is welcomed by the drone and guided through a number of aisle and shelfs. While being guided by the drones, several calibration points arise, e.g. the drone flies around a bend in the path and is out of the worker’s sight. Theses intentionally designed calibration points are used for assessing the mental model of the participants and its adjustments over time. Additionally, a digital twin will be generated to facilitate the simulation and monitoring of the scenarios.

Funded by: The project is funded as “Incubator project” by the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security, one of four research centers within the UA Ruhr that are funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Project Partners: Chair AOW at Ruhr Universität Bochum, Mathematical Statistics and Applications in Industry at TU Dortmund, Chair of Material Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund.

Contact Person: M Sc. Shrutarv Awasthi