Overview

Description

It's hard to tell a robot which objects or areas are off-limits or private. Instead, we propose using physical markers, that is, small & colorful objects that are easy for the robot to detect, to indicate what is to be blurred or redacted. We believe this will be easier than an on-screen interface to learn and integrate into daily life for the average user. Examples of marker applications include:

  • A colored mat placed on a counter. Any small items placed on the mat will be replaced with pixels from the mat, so remote operators won't know anything is there.
  • A colored hat or badge worn by a person can indicate to the robot that the wearer wishes to be kept invisible...or that only the wearer is to be visible.
  • Small floor markers like toy traffic cones placed on either side of a doorway can indicate that a room is private.
  • Certain shelves or countertops can be marked as private using small, easy-to-detect figures.

Future Plans

We plan to conduct a user study to assess how learnable such interfaces might be, as well as whether users prefer them to on-screen interfaces.