Robots Join the Hallway Etiquette Too
■ I was waiting, and you went first
Oshiro was pushing Mr. Morita in a wheelchair. Ahead, a meal cart was parked in the hallway, leaving a gap barely wide enough for the wheelchair. Oshiro stopped to check whether they could fit. Meanwhile Hakobukun, coming from the other side, slipped through the open gap first. "The way was clear."
■ Hospital hallways have human manners
In an article on research about hospital robots, staff complained that even when they stepped aside for a patient, the robot kept plowing ahead, with none of the manners we teach children. In a hospital hallway, letting the patient go first is basic courtesy. Taking the shortest open path can run straight into it.
■ Conclusion: At narrow spots, stop short and let patients go first
Now Hakobukun stops before narrow spots and lets the patient through first. "Mr. Morita, after you." Mr. Morita laughs: "Now you've got it."
Move not only by whether the path is clear, but by who should go first.
