Robo Reflections

“Robo Reflections” is a space where Faculty, Postdocs, and PhD students in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) at the University of Michigan share reflections about the field. We draw upon state-of-the-art as well as foundational work in HRI to engage engage in research critiques that potentiate transformations in HRI. Our reflections cover the multiple areas of HRI, including algorithmic, systems, design, studies, and theories. Our sources include the conferences of HRI, RSS, ICRA, IROS, CoRL, DIS, TEI, CHI, as well as related Journals.

Format

We follow a reflection & critique style, led by one presenter each week. Participants are expected to volunteer to facilitate reflections by signing up in this document (please request access if needed). The lead presenter will introduce the research piece and guide the reflections with prepared questions. The other participants are not expected to have read the paper before coming, but they can do so if they wish. We strive to create a space for a daring and respectful critique environment, where everyone’s opinion is valued.

The first page of the paper

How Dare You, iCub? Robots Face Harsher Judgments Than Humans in Social Exclusion (Under Review)

Francesca Cocchella, Sara Mongile, Giulia Pusceddu, Linda Lastrico, Giulia Belgiovine, Ana Tanevska, Luca Andrighetto, Francesco Rea, Alessandra Sciutti
Under Review - please do not share

Date: August 5th
Presenter: Francesca Cocchella
The first page of the paper

Rebranding Sex Robots: Realbotix’s Corporate Metamorphosis

Annette M. Masterson and Lionel Peter Robert
RO-MAN '25: Proceedings of the 34th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication.

Date: July 22nd
Presenter: Annette Masterson
The first page of the paper

Effects of Human Motion Prediction Quality on Robot Navigation and Human Impressions in Teamwork Scenarios (Work-in-Progress)

Andrew Stratton, Phani Teja Singamaneni, Pranav Goyal, Rachid Alami, and Christoforos Mavrogiannis
Work-in-Progress - please do not share

Date: July 8th
Presenter: Andrew Stratton
The first page of the paper

Virtually the Same or Realistically Different?: A Meta-analysis of Real vs. 'Not So Real' Robots

Connor Esterwood, Ruijia (Hannah) Guan, Xin Ye, and Lionel Robert Jr.
HRI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. pp. 559 - 568.

Date: June 24th
Presenter: Xin Ye
The first page of the paper

"Give it Time:" Longitudinal Panels Scaffold Older Adults' Learning and Robot Co-Design

Hsu et al.
HRI '24: Proceedings of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. pp. 283 - 292.

Date: June 10th
Presenter: Long-Jing Hsu

Organizers

Patricia Alves-Oliveira

Patricia Alves-Oliveira

Assistant Professor of Robotics
University of Michigan

Long-Jing Hsu

Long-Jing Hsu

Postdoctoral Researcher in Robotics
University of Michigan

Annette Masterson

Annette Masterson

Research Fellow in Robotics and Information
University of Michigan

Supporting Faculty

Chris Mavrogiannis

Chris Mavrogiannis

Assistant Professor of Robotics
University of Michigan

Lionel Robert

Lionel Robert

Full Professor of Robotics and Information
University of Michigan

Leia Stirling

Leia Stirling

Full Professor of Robotics and
Industrial and Operational Engineering
University of Michigan

Contact

If you work in HRI and are interested in joining Robo Reflections, or for any other inquiries, please contact:
Long-Jing Hsu, hsulon@iu.edu
Annette Masterson, ammaster@umich.edu