Influence-Based Reward Modulation for Implicit Communication in Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract: Communication is essential for successful interaction. In human-robot interaction, implicit communication holds the potential to enhance robots' understanding of human needs, emotions, and intentions. This paper introduces a method to foster implicit communication in HRI without explicitly modelling human intentions or relying on pre-existing knowledge. Leveraging Transfer Entropy, we modulate influence between agents in social interactions in scenarios involving either collaboration or competition. By integrating influence into agents' rewards within a partially observable Markov decision process, we demonstrate that boosting influence enhances collaboration, while resisting influence diminishes performance. Our findings are validated through simulations and real-world experiments with human participants in social navigation settings.