Beyond Omakase: Designing Shared Control for Navigation Robots with Blind People
Rie Kamikubo, Seita Kayukawa, Yuka Kaniwa, Allan Wang, Hernisa Kacorri, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa
TL;DR
This work addresses independence for blind people by moving beyond robot-led omakase navigation toward shared-control frameworks. It combines a preliminary interview study (N=14) and a real-world museum user study (N=13) to explore three autonomy modes—Omakase, Monitor, and Boss—and how users transition among them in crowded environments. The findings show a strong preference for Monitor and Boss modes, with users actively guiding crowd interactions and seeking environmental understanding, while still valuing the robot’s supportive role. The study offers design principles for shared-control interfaces, including scene descriptions, mutual support, and adaptive leadership, with implications for future social-navigation robots and potential integration of advanced language models for explanations and interaction.
Abstract
Autonomous navigation robots can increase the independence of blind people but often limit user control, following what is called in Japanese an "omakase" approach where decisions are left to the robot. This research investigates ways to enhance user control in social robot navigation, based on two studies conducted with blind participants. The first study, involving structured interviews (N=14), identified crowded spaces as key areas with significant social challenges. The second study (N=13) explored navigation tasks with an autonomous robot in these environments and identified design strategies across different modes of autonomy. Participants preferred an active role, termed the "boss" mode, where they managed crowd interactions, while the "monitor" mode helped them assess the environment, negotiate movements, and interact with the robot. These findings highlight the importance of shared control and user involvement for blind users, offering valuable insights for designing future social navigation robots.