Experts on human-robot interaction

As robots show up in more and more settings and play an ever-increasing role in many aspects of everyday life, the need to understand how robots and people can co-exist and how they can work together—effectively and safely—grows apace. This is the focus of the study of human-robot interaction, a field that deals with such questions as how can humans and robots understand and communicate with each other, how can people and robots can collaborate to complete shared tasks, and how can robots learn to co-exist and serve people in shared environments. WPI experts on human-robot interaction are developing nursing robots that can help treat patients in quarantine, exploring how robots can be integrated into the workplace, and looking at how space-based robots can better collaborate with their human controllers.

Gregory S. Fischer
  • Professor Robotics Engineering
Professor Fischer develops surgical robotics, including MRI-compatible robotic devices for enhancing cancer diagnosis, add intelligent automation to telesurgery, and develop assistive robotics, including socially assistive robots and wearable physically ... View Profile
Jane Li
  • Assistant Professor Robotics Engineering
Professor Li works on shared autonomous medical robots, which augment the capabilities of healthcare workers for nursing, assistance, and rehabilitation tasks. ... View Profile
Cagdas Onal
  • Associate Professor Robotics Engineering
Professor Onal conducts research in soft robotics, a largely underexplored area of robotics that has significance in medicine, manufacturing, and disaster response. ... View Profile
Carlo Pinciroli
  • Associate Professor/Graduate Coordinator Robotics Engineering
Professor Pinciroli's research focuses on designing innovative tools for swarm robotics. ... View Profile
Jeanine LM Skorinko
  • Professor Social Science & Policy Studies
Professor Skorinko investigates social factors that influence our attitudes, decisions, and interactions. This includes factors such as stigmas, stereotypes, culture, and perspective taking. ... View Profile
Erin Solovey
  • Associate Professor Computer Science
Much of Professor Solovey's work explores effective human interaction with complex and autonomous systems and vehicles. ... View Profile