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Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia and at the Naval Research Laboratory have been working on human-robot interaction and communication. Our goals have been to make such interactions more intuitive and natural, as much as human-human communication is facilitated by shared modes of interaction.

Because our research emphasis is on providing easy-to-use, intuitive interfaces for the user, the onus of maneuvering around obstacles and in general of interacting with the environment is placed on sensors onboard the robot and other capabilities that allow a robot to handle both unstructured and dynamic environments. However, higher level tasks, such as strategic planning, are the role of human users. It is, therefore, incumbent on designers of the interface to facilitate high level, human interactions and decisions. Thus, the interface should be the tool by which humans can easily, intelligently, and even intuitively communicate their goals to a robot or a team of robots.