Where It Stops Matters
■ It stopped in the worst possible spot
At dinnertime, Hakobukun suddenly stopped in a narrow hallway to recalculate its route. Behind it came Terashima, pushing a meal cart full of hot dinners. The hallway was too narrow for the cart to pass. "You're stopping HERE? The food's getting cold!" Until the calculation finished, Terashima and her cart had no choice but to wait.
■ Stopping is safe, but where you stop can stop other people's work
A study of a hospital robot (ACM interactions) reported that when the robot stopped in a hallway to recalculate, kitchen staff pushing hot food carts and clinicians could not get past and had to wait behind it. Stopping when unsure is the right behavior for a robot. But stopping halfway down a narrow hallway turns that pause straight into lost time for the people behind it.
■ Conclusion: Do the thinking in the open space before the narrow part
Makihara changed the settings. Hakobukun now decides its route in the wide hall before entering a narrow hallway, and if it can no longer confirm it is safe partway through, it stops and reports instead of pushing on. The decision to stop stays; only the place to think changes.
Spend the time spent wondering outside people's way.
