Partial subtle mirroring of nonverbal behaviors during conversations (also known as mimicking or parallel empathy), is essential for rapport building, which in turn is essential for optimal human-human communication outcomes. Mirroring has been studied in interactions between robots and humans, and in interactions between Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) and humans. However, very few studies examine interactions between humans and ECAs that are integrated with robots, and none of them examine the effect of mirroring nonverbal behaviors in such interactions. Our research question is whether integrating an ECA able to mirror its interlocutor's facial expressions and head movements (continuously or intermittently) with a human-service robot will improve the user's experience with the support robot that is able to perform useful mobile manipulative tasks (e.g. at home). Our contribution is the complex integration of an expressive ECA, able to track its interlocutor's face, and to mirror his/her facial expressions and head movements in real time, integrated with a human support robot such that the robot and the agent are fully aware of each others', and of the users', nonverbals cues. We also describe a pilot study we conducted towards answering our research question, which shows promising results for our forthcoming larger user study.

翻译：在谈话中(也称为模仿或平行同化),部分微妙地反映非语言行为,对于建立和谐关系至关重要,而这反过来对于人类的最佳交流成果至关重要。在机器人和人类之间的互动中,以及在Embudided Conversational Agency(ECAs)和人类的互动中,已经研究了镜像。然而,很少有研究考察与机器人融合在一起的人类与ECA之间的互动,没有一项研究研究在这种互动中镜像非语言行为的效果。我们的研究问题是,将一个能够反映其对话者的面部表情和头部运动(持续或间歇地)的ECA与一个人类服务机器人整合起来是否将改善用户在支持机器人方面的经验,该机器人能够执行有用的移动操控任务(例如在家里)。我们的贡献是,一个能跟踪其对话者面部的表情的表达和头部运动的复杂整合,与一个人类支持机器人融合在一起,以使机器人和代理人充分了解对方的面部表情和头部运动(持续或间歇期间)与一个人类服务机器人的动作运动运动,从而改善用户对未来研究的实验结果的用户。我们还展示了更大的研究结果。