The objectives of this study are to investigate the usability of the anthropomorphic sound feedback for service robot malfunction and to suggest the design guideline. Two experiments were carried out in a laboratory setting and an actual home environment. Independent variables of the experiments were two types of feedback (anthropomorphic vs. non-anthropomorphic) and two types of malfunctions (catastrophic vs. warning). The usability comprising of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction was evaluated through a questionnaire and video analysis. The results from the experiments were summarized as follows. First, the usability of anthropomorphic feedback was better than non-anthropomorphic feedback. Second, the feedback of warning malfunction displayed higher usability than the feedback of catastrophic malfunction. Third, non-anthropomorphic feedback had higher effectiveness and satisfaction on the catastrophic malfunction while anthropomorphic feedback was more effective and satisfactory on the warning malfunction. Based on the results, design guideline of anthropomorphic sound feedback for service robot malfunction was suggested.
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