A Human-Centred Tri-Region Shared Autonomy Framework for Adaptive and Safe Human–Robot Interaction

This paper reframes shared autonomy as an interpretable interaction space centered on the human and bounded by safety. Building on this perspective, we introduce a Human-Centred Tri-Region Shared Autonomy Framework that organises interaction into three regions: Human-Led, Robot-Supported, and Safety-Intervention. The framework formalises how autonomy shifts as interaction conditions evolve, while an Interaction State Interpreter maps multimodal user and task observations to region-dependent behaviours. This structure enables autonomy transitions that remain explicit and behaviourally grounded across diverse human-robot interaction contexts, including physical collaboration, social engagement, and cognitive assistance. A physical interaction scenario illustrates how the proposed formulation can be realised through adaptive impedance and constraint-aware feedback, enabling smooth transitions between collaborative support and protective intervention. By structuring autonomy around human authority, supportive assistance, and safety enforcement, the framework provides a clear basis for adaptive human-robot interaction.