Events Calendar

PhD Defense - Elizabeth Cha

Title: Nonverbal Communication for Non-Humanoid Robots
Ph.D. Candidate: Elizabeth Cha
Date and Time: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 at 10:00 AM in RTH 406
Committee: Maja Matarić (Chair), Gaurav Sukhatme, and Panayiotis Georgiou

Abstract:

Robots are increasingly required to operate with and alongside humans in dynamic, unstructured environments. To facilitate the high levels of coordination and collaboration necessary for this goal, robots must communicate information about their state and actions. This information enables humans to predict a robot's future behavior and to plan their own actions accordingly. In human-human communication, this information is often exchanged through nonverbal cues. Non-humanoid robots, such as drones and autonomous cars, lack the anthropomorphic channels to replicate these cues. In this thesis, we primarily address two of the research challenges for human-robot communication for non-humanoid robots. First, we present experiments exploring the systematic design and application of nonverbal signals in different human-robot interaction scenarios. Second, we propose a framework for planning robot communication under uncertainty that employs our results in signal design to improve human-robot collaboration. We present results from an application and validation of this communication framework. Finally, we discuss the implications of this thesis work on the field of HRI and its impact on non-humanoid robots deployed in the real world.

Location: 406

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Lizsl De Leon