Which Side Is the Robot On?
■ The lanes were there, but the robot was in neither
Two lanes are painted on the floor of the hospital's basement passage, one for people on foot and one for carts. Oshiro was walking in the people's lane. Coming the other way, Hakobukun rolled down the gap between the two lanes. "Wait, which side are you on?" When Oshiro stepped aside, Hakobukun drifted the same way. "So which way are you going?!"
■ If you cannot tell which side it is on, you cannot predict how to avoid it
A study in the basement passages of a Danish hospital reported that although lanes for pedestrians and transport vehicles were marked, the robot did not stay within them, and staff could not tell which side the robot belonged to. People can guess which side another person will take and step aside. If a robot's path is not defined, that guess breaks down, and every attempt to dodge ends face to face.
■ Conclusion: Define the robot's path inside the facility's traffic rules
Makihara drew the floor lanes into Hakobukun's map. Now Hakobukun runs only in the cart lane, and Oshiro keeps walking in hers. "Know the side, know how to dodge." A robot's path should be set clearly within the facility's traffic rules and made visible to people.
Keeping to its side is the clearest signal a robot can give.
