Exploring the Potential of Information Gathering Robots.

ABSTRACTAutonomous mobile robots equipped with a number of sensors will soon be ubiquitous in human populated environments. In this paper we present an initial exploration into the potential of using such robots for information gathering. We present findings from a formative user survey and a 4-day long Wizard-of-Oz deployment of a robot that answers questions such as "Is there free food on the kitchen table?" Our studies allow us to characterize the types of information that InfoBots might be most useful for.