The Quiet Professional: An investigation of U.S. military Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel interactions with everyday field robots

Abstract

This research explores interactions between Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel and the robots used every day. It was designed to richly describe the nuances of these interactions, especially those related to operator emotion associated with the robots. In this study, the EOD human-robot dynamic was investigated by interviewing 23 EOD personnel, collecting demographic information, and using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Study results suggest EOD personnel relationships among peers and team members showed distinct patterns in human-human relationships as part of a Human-Human Interaction Model (HHIM) in terms of expectations of performance, and beliefs, values, and actions, related to their work. Findings described here also suggest performance expectations and other factors of the HHIM of teamwork do not map onto EOD personnel human-robot interactions. However, in some cases there is a tendency for personnel to ascribe human traits to robots, creating nuanced human-technology relationships introduced here as the Robot Accommodation Dilemma (RAD). These findings have implications for future personnel training and the refinement of robot design considerations for EOD and other fields that rely on critical small group communication and decision-making skills.