Furthering the Development of Virtual Agents and Communication Robot Devices through the Consideration of the Temporal Home

Abstract

This paper extends current research on Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) within Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), focusing on how future virtual agents and communication robots can support the temporal structures and routines within the home. We recruited representatives from 15 households with varied compositions, ranging from single inhabitants to full nest families. Drawing upon P.G. Wodehouse’s The Inimitable Jeeves as an inspiration, the methodology sought to imitate the relationship between a recruitment agency worker (researcher) and an employer (participant) seeking to hire a personal assistant (e.g., a virtual agent or communication robot device) for their home. A ‘household audit’ comprising a guided household tour and an architectural survey was conducted to ascertain the nuanced spatiotemporal routines within the home. The study analysed the responses of participants using the Labovian narrative schema, a traditional method in linguistics research. The findings were then examined through the lens of Reddy et al.’s temporal features of work to understand how domestic work unfolds within the home from a temporal perspective. We argue that the temporal concepts discussed by Reddy et al. provided valuable insights into the temporal dynamics of everyday activities and could inform the design of virtual agents and communication robotic devices to fulfil their roles as domesticated ‘personal assistants’.

Research on Construction Technology of Communication Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

“…This not only increases the difficulty of construction but also interferes with each other between the mechanical and electrical equipment and pipelines. Therefore, in the construction process of mechanical and electrical equipment, according to the characteristics and attributes of the system, scientifically and reasonably understand the distance between pipelines and equipment to ensure the completeness of the functions of mechanical and electrical equipment (Ma et al, 2023;Pooley et al, 2023).…”