HRI 2010 workshop 2: Interaction Science perspective on HRI: Designing robot morphology

This workshop will address the impact of robot morphology on HRI from the perspective of Interaction Science, which encompasses theory and design of human interaction with technology. Anthropomorphic designs, which are common, have to be balanced with the “uncanny valley effect,” since different morphologies suggest different affordances to users, triggering a variety of cognitive heuristics and thereby shaping their interactions with robots. We expect progress towards more human-acceptable interactions with robots by understanding the cognitive, behavioral, organizational, and contextual factors of morphology in HRI, as well as new meta-theories and design guidelines. We emphasize a highly multi-disciplinary approach, by involving participants from social sciences, engineering, and design. Topics of presentation include but not limited to: 1) Engineering considerations in designing robot morphology 2) Empirical psychological considerations in designing robot morphology 3) Aesthetic parameters for transcending the uncanny valley effect (UVE) with static, dynamic and interactive robots 4) Physiological (fMRI) bases of UVE 5) Cognitive heuristics triggered by morphological cues on robot interfaces 6) Adaptation for multimodal robot interfaces 7) Cognitive Robotic Engine for Dependable HRI 8) Acceptance of Socially Interactive Robots 9) Evaluation frameworks for human-like robots 10) Robot appearances for social interactions among Autistic children