Description:

Join the Center for Robotics and Biosystems (CRB) for our January Seminar

Date and Time:  Friday, January 6 at 12:00 p.m. CT

Location:  Tech B211 and Zoom
Zoom Link:  https://tinyurl.com/CRBSeminar
• NU-authenticated attendees will be automatically admitted. Others, please email amy.nedoss@northwestern.edu to be admitted from the waiting room.

Abstract:
As the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) continues to grow, researchers are studying increasingly complex human-robot social interactions, including those that involve multiple people and/or multiple robots. This growing body of work has demonstrated that robots can do more than influence one person's behavior, robots can also shape the interactions between people. In this talk, Dr. Sebo will highlight several human subject studies she has conducted that provide powerful examples of how robots can shape human-to-human interactions. This work demonstrates the potential for robots to both improve and harm human-to-human interactions, outcomes robot designers and users should be mindful of when they create and interact with robots. 

Bios:
Sarah Sebo (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago where she directs the Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Lab. Sarah received my PhD in Computer Science from Yale University and her Bachelors in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Her current research explores social dynamics in human-robot interactions. Sarah seeks to transform interactions with robots that are stale, scripted, and transactional to interactions that feel more like talking to a friend - socially engaging, intuitive, and meaningful. She focuses on applications that directly result in positive outcomes for people (e.g., improved performance in human-robot teams, enhanced educational learning outcomes for children, seamless interactions with in-home assistant robots).