While it's important to note that our findings may not generalize to the full population (n=21 vignette survey), they have major implications for companies rushing to deploy autonomous household robots with remote teleoperators. It challenges the industry assumption that "more autonomous = better."

3) End user programmed robots that learn from the user’s demonstrations/instructions are a promising paradigm for autonomous robots that give the user higher control over the robot’s intentions. This translated into a significantly higher sense of agency rating from the participants.

2) Preferences for robot autonomy and amount of user control vary with the context & its risk. Users preferred to have full control over the robot in high risk scenarios, and preferred the opposite in low risk scenarios. Privacy and social concerns enhanced their risk rating & desire for control.

✏️ Key findings:
1) Third-party involvement in robot programming or control had a significantly larger negative effect on the participants' sense of agency than whether the robot acted autonomously.

But the big question is: do people want this? How does it affect their sense of agency (aka their feeling of control) over their environment? What factors determine their preferences?

Companies like 1X and Weave have announced their plans to deploy assistive robots. These robots will act autonomously, with third party teleoperators ready to intervene in case of failure. This mode of operation is necessary, as robot behaviors are not yet robust enough for households.