It has been only a few years since the first robots arrived at the workplace, as fast and reliable mechanical aids. Today we see robots working in far more complex situations e.g. in health care, at home, in education and in hospitality.

The ‘brain power’ of robots is increasing rapidly. Nowadays we create robots that can respond and adjust to changing environments. In the future, connected robots will be able to work autonomously in complex and unstructured environments. They will work interactively with humans, converse with them, understand their intentions, and even form social relationships. These social robots will make their own decisions, based on their (collective) social intelligence. This addresses numerous issues: psychological, social and ethical.

Visitors of this research meet enjoyed showcases from various disciplines and listened to the latest scientific insights from TU/e scientists.

PROGRAM (25 January 2018)

Keynote

• Ben Robins, Senior Research Fellow, Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Hertfordshire, UK
  'Kaspar as a therapeutic tool: Encouraging social interaction skills in children with autism'

Talks

• Gert Jan van der Berg, Pediatrician, Medical Information Innovation Officer, Gelderse Vallei Hospital
  'Social robots in pediatric Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 (T1DM)'
• Eric Wesselman, partner, KPMG Technology
  'Open source social robotics and why we all should contribute'
• Raymond Cuijpers, Cognitive Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction, TU/e & Peter Ruijten, Innovation Sciences, TU/e
  'Robots and humans understanding each other'

Pitches (Social Robotics at TU/e)

• Emilia Barakova, Designed Intelligence, TU/e
  'Learning robots for social therapies'
• Jaap Ham, Persuasive Technology, TU/e
  'Persuasive Social Robots'
• Pascale Le Blanc, Human Performance Management Group, TU/e
  'Social robotics: are all human needs being served?'
• Sven Nyholm, Philosophy & Ethics, TU/e
  'Robotic agency - human responsibility'
• Jeroen Schepers, Innovation Technology Entrepreneurship and Marketing (ITEM), TU/e
  'Design of and human responses to robots in customer service'

TU/e Cursor reported on our research meet. Read the article