The Warehouse Robot Interaction Sim: An Open-Source HRI Research Platform

Abstract

The use of physical robots in real-world laboratories for the study of human-robot interaction is not without limitations and logistical challenges. In response, a wide range of studies have begun using virtual representations of robots. However, very few of these platforms are openly available to the HRI community. This limits reproducibility and the ability of the community to leverage existing resources for their own research. In response, this paper presents The Warehouse Robot Interaction Sim. The Warehouse Robot Interaction Sim is an open-source immersive virtual platform developed in the Unreal Engine with the goal of conducting research on trust repair in HRI. This paper summarizes the overall structure of the platform, how it can be modified, and briefly discuss how this platform has been leveraged for research. In doing so we hope to encourage other researchers in HRI to consider leveraging this platform for their own research questions and study designs.