Robot-Mediated Assistance: Opportunities and Challenges in Computer Vision and Human–Robot Interaction

Robot-mediated assistance is poised for wide acceptance in sectors such as households, healthcare, distance learning, and assisted living in the near future. In this chapter, we analyze a curated collection of 29 existing robots. This analysis leads us to extend the current human–robot interaction (HRI) taxonomy by incorporating three additional lenses: robot appearance (including human-like, animal-like, and machine-like), collaborators (involving local users, bystanders, tele-users, tele-operators, other robots, and AI developers), and abilities (such as locomotion, perception, grasping, manipulation, and communication with humans or robots). We examine how these factors influence the quality, utility, and nature of collaboration in robot-mediated interaction. Further, we scrutinize the challenges and opportunities in robotics, computer vision, and HRI, aiming to stimulate and inform future research in these areas.