Open Access

Björn Petrak

• In the 1960s, Edward T. Hall coined the term proxemics, which describes how humans and animals use the surrounding space to communicate. Proxemics is a natural form of nonverbal interaction that – similar to facial expressions or gestures – takes place without conscious reflection. Over time, this theory of spatial interaction has found its way into the field of human-computer interaction to develop systems that enable more natural interaction by capturing the proxemic behavior patterns of users. Work such as the Proxemic Interaction Framework by Marquard and Greenberg demonstrates the relevance of proxemics research in human-computer interaction. The framework defines several dimensions – identity, distance, orientation, movement and motion, and location – that are important for capturing proxemic human behavior and adapting computer systems accordingly. Proxemics is also a key aspect of research in human-robot interaction. Since robots can often move autonomously in space andIn the 1960s, Edward T. Hall coined the term proxemics, which describes how humans and animals use the surrounding space to communicate. Proxemics is a natural form of nonverbal interaction that – similar to facial expressions or gestures – takes place without conscious reflection. Over time, this theory of spatial interaction has found its way into the field of human-computer interaction to develop systems that enable more natural interaction by capturing the proxemic behavior patterns of users. Work such as the Proxemic Interaction Framework by Marquard and Greenberg demonstrates the relevance of proxemics research in human-computer interaction. The framework defines several dimensions – identity, distance, orientation, movement and motion, and location – that are important for capturing proxemic human behavior and adapting computer systems accordingly. Proxemics is also a key aspect of research in human-robot interaction. Since robots can often move autonomously in space and thus generate proxemic signals, analyzing and designing their spatial behavior is becoming increasingly important. In particular, robots' inappropriate approach behavior can lead to rejection by potential users, so carefully coordinating their behavior is essential. However, research on proxemics in human-robot interaction differs significantly from that in human-computer interaction, as it primarily focuses on finding the appropriate distance for interaction. Given the increasing integration of robots into domestic environments, these two research fields will continue to merge and overlap. This dissertation aims to bring together knowledge and experience from both areas and to take the first steps towards an integrated view of proxemics in human-computer interaction and human-robot interaction. To this end, three central areas are examined in this thesis: First, a design process is presented that uses role-playing and two existing frameworks from academia to transfer proxemic interactions from human-human encounters to human-computer interactions. In the second part, a sensor toolkit suitable for capturing the dimensions defined by the Proxemic Interaction Framework is developed, with the challenging dimension of orientation examined in greater depth. Finally, three studies in the field of human-robot interaction are presented that are inspired by human-computer interaction research. These studies focus on the human perception of the robot's proxemic behavior rather than determining the optimal interaction distance. In conclusion, the findings obtained in this thesis provide promising approaches for bringing together research areas that have been considered separately to date. However, they represent only a first, small step towards an integrated view of proxemics in human-computer and human-robot interaction, which underlines the need for further research. The final outlook of the dissertation outlines possible approaches for the continuation of the work, which should serve as a basis for future research activities.…