Abstract
The choices made by autonomous robots in social settings bear consequences for humans and their presumptions of robot behavior. Explanations can serve to alleviate detri- mental impacts on humans and amplify their comprehension of robot decisions. We model the process of explanation gener- ation for robot navigation as an automated planning problem considering different possible explanation attributes. Our visual and textual explanations of a robot’s navigation are influenced by the robot’s personality. Moreover, they account for differ- ent contextual, environmental, and spatial characteristics. We present the results of a user study demonstrating that users are more satisfied with multimodal than unimodal explanations. Additionally, our findings reveal low user satisfaction with explanations of a robot with extreme personality traits. In conclusion, we deliberate on potential future research directions and the associated constraints. Our work advocates for fostering socially adept and safe autonomous robot navigation.