Humanizing Social Robots

Explore the frontier of human-robot interaction with our Humanizing Social Robots course.

This course delves into the design and development of robots capable of understanding and responding to human emotions and social cues. Discover the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that enable robots to emulate human-like behavior and empathy.

In today's increasingly automated world, the ability to create socially adept robots holds immense significance. Businesses across industries are integrating robots into customer service, healthcare, education, and beyond. Understanding how to humanize these robots not only enhances user experience but also addresses ethical considerations surrounding AI.

This course is ideal for AI engineers, roboticists, designers, and developers looking to expand their expertise in human-robot interaction. Professionals in customer service, healthcare, education, and technology sectors will gain practical insights into leveraging social robotics. Additionally, researchers and enthusiasts interested in the ethical implications and societal impact of AI and robotics will find this course invaluable.

Course Highlights:

• History of Robotics
• Robotics in Healthcare
• Robots, Technology and the Arts
• Ethics of Human Robot Interaction

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will:

• Analyze the fundamental knowledge of social robotics from historical, social, and cultural perspectives, including the evolution from industrial and service robots to companion, emotional, and relational robots.
• Demonstrate proficiency in writing and presenting intricate ideas about social robots and their relationship with humans from a humanities and arts perspective.
• Differentiate the advantages and limitations of the current social robotics industry. 
• Interpret and analyze the ethical and moral questions of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) from a robo-ethics perspective.
• Critically discuss interdisciplinary alliances between humans and robots in the arts, assistive technology, healthcare, business, education, and emerging technological fields. 
• Integrate humanities and arts perspectives into traditional STEM thinking and programming. 
• Improve human-robot interactions in methods similar to UX processes to better understand user needs through research studies, qualitative and quantitative feedback, and human engagement.
• Identify the diverse systems that allow users to communicate with robots including gesture recognition, voice and speech creation, and potentially natural language processing abilities, with and behavior that aligns with human social awareness and communication. In doing so, robotic programming develops norms and expectations to create intuitive, beneficial, and authentic experiences for humans.

Course Typically Offered: Online, Winter and Summer quarter.

Prerequisites: None

Contact: For more information about this course, please email unexengr@ucsd.edu.