Delegation (Human-Robot Interaction)

In human-robot interaction, the explicit transfer of a task or decision from a human to a robot. Delegation is a form of shared control in which authority for a specific subtask — for example, asking bystanders to step aside, announcing an obstacle, or choosing a path around a queue — passes to the robot while the human retains overall goal-setting. In accessibility contexts, delegation matters because blind and low-vision users often weigh the social cost of asking strangers for help against the convenience of autonomous assistance. Well-designed delegation preserves user agency: the user can choose when to delegate, revoke the delegation, and interpret the robot's actions, rather than being a passive passenger in a fully autonomous system.