Events Calendar

CS Colloquium: Iolanda Leite (Disney Research) - Long-term Human-Robot Interaction in the Real-World

Speaker: Iolanda Leite, Disney Research

Talk Title: Long-term Human-Robot Interaction in the Real-World

Series: CS Colloquium

Abstract: This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Computer Science Research Colloquium

Most social robots and virtual characters are still unable to keep users engaged over repeated interactions because they lack social and adaptive capabilities that facilitate the interaction once the novelty effect fades away. In this seminar, I will present my past and current research on mechanisms that allow autonomous robots to be deployed in real-world social environments over weeks and months. These mechanisms include computational models of empathy, turn-taking and engagement. I will present evidence on the positive effects of implementing these models in robots and virtual characters interacting with people in several application domains, and discuss limitations of the current state of the art in robotic technology suitable for realistic social environments. An improved understanding of how robots should perceive and act depending on their surrounding social context can lead to more natural, enjoyable and useful long-term human-robot interactions.

The meeting will be available to stream HERE. Please open in new tab for best results.

Biography: Iolanda Leite is an Associate Research Scientist at Disney Research, Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D in Information Systems and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, in 2013. From 2013 to 2015, she was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale Social Robotics Lab. Her doctoral dissertation, "Long-term Interactions with Empathic Social Robots", received an honorable mention in the IFAAMAS-13 Victor Lesser Distinguished Dissertation Award. Iolanda has published over 40 conference and journal in the areas of human-robot interaction, artificial intelligence and affective computing.


Host: CS Department

Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 101

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Assistant to CS chair