Communication Fundamentals within a Triadic Interaction in a Cooperative Play Mediated by INAMO

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the nature of the triadic interaction between persons within a cooperative play by utilizing a panel-type robot platform, INAMO. INAMO generates its movement by a joystick that triggers acceleration of the flywheels where their rotation enables the robot to move around the electromagnets which provide connection of two INAMOs. We set up an experiment based on a cooperative play mediated by INAMOs to examine the effects of a common task and a social reference on subjects' controlling skills, communication each other and interestingness of the game. We also analyzed the performance of the subjects and their impressions on the cooperative play. The results demonstrated that the existence of a common task and the social reference have significant effects on such triadic interactions.