Toward Designing Social Human-Robot Interactions for Deep Space Exploration

In planning for future human space exploration, it is important to consider how to design for uplifting interpersonal communications and social dynamics among crew members. What if embodied social robots could help to improve the overall team interaction experience in space? On Earth, social robots have been shown effective in providing companionship, relieving stress and anxiety, fostering connection among people, enhancing team performance, and mediating conflicts in human groups. In this paper, we introduce a set of novel research questions exploring social human-robot interactions in long-duration space exploration missions.