[Air-L] CFP RO-MAN 2016 Workshop: The Challenges of Human-Robot Interaction in Real-World Contexts

[Somaya Ben Allouch]

Dear all,

Please see below the CFP for our workshop at RO-MAN 2016. Please
disseminate in your own networks.


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Call For Papers: Workshop The Challenges of Human-Robot Interaction in
Real-World Contexts

In conjunction with the IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human
Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2016)

http://ro-man2016.org/



Workshop Date: August 31, 2016, New York, NY, USA

www.challengesofhumanrobotinteractioninrealworldcontexts.wordpress.com/



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Introduction
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Most HRI research is performed in the lab which offers a simplification of
the real-world context to allow problem solving. However, robotic systems
should eventually be tested in ecologically valid settings to determine
whether and how they actually meet real-world needs. Only recently, robotic
systems have become reliable and robust enough to be deployed in real-world
settings, such as homes, schools, care facilities, museums and alike. And
long-term acceptance research of social robots in such real-world settings
is about to become a sub-field in evaluating the interactions between
robots and their human users. This stresses the need for more ecologically
valid research and the inclusion of the real potential end-users required
to be able to gain insight into how people perceive, accept and interact
with robots in real-world contexts as well as to test the feasibility
and/or usability of these robots in such contexts. The aim of ecologically
valid research is to use methods, materials and settings that approximate
the real-world as much as possible. Studying HRIs in real-world contexts
reveals more natural interactions and human reactions. Moreover, the
robotic system can be tested within its intended use context which is
unpredictable, dynamic and unstructured, something that is difficult if not
impossible to simulate in the lab. Therefore, HRI research in real-world
contexts offers a unique insight into the interactions between robots and
their human users. However, studying HRI in real-world contexts also brings
along many challenges, among other topics related to:

   -	Technologically with regard to the robustness and reliability of the
     system


   -	Methodologically: with reference to the controllability of variables
     and a lack of validated measurement tool kits for the evaluation


   -	Contextually: in relation to the social and cultural aspects of HRI


Aim of the workshop
------------------
The aim of this workshop is to bring together researchers from both
industry and academia to discuss best practices as well as pitfalls of HRI
research in real-world settings, and to provide the HRI community with
guidelines to inform future developments of their robotic systems. We
invite multi-disciplinary contributions from researchers and practitioners
from the fields of HRI, engineering, computer sciences, fine and media
arts, (interactive) design, sociology, anthropology, psychology,
neurosciences, cognitive sciences, semiotics, linguistics, literary
studies, history, policy, law, communication science, and cultural studies.


Submissions
------------------
We welcome prospective participants to submit extended abstracts (max. 4
pages) covering any relevant topic (related to the problem statement on the
homepage) addressing real-world HRI research. In addition to papers
presenting empirical research, we also welcome papers about new theoretical
perspectives, design challenges, and ethical or legal issues related to HRI
research in real world contexts. The manuscripts should use the IEEE RO-MAN
two-column format. Please submit a PDF copy of your manuscript to
maartje.degraaf at utwente.nl.

Important deadlines:
   -	Submission deadline: May 22, 2016
   -	Notification of acceptance: June 1, 2016
   -	Camera-ready deadline: June 15, 2016

All submitted papers within the scope of the workshop will be
peer-reviewed. Papers will be selected based on their originality,
relevance, contributions, technical clarity, and presentation. Accepted
papers will require that at least one author registers for and attends the
workshop. After the conference, accepted authors will be offered to submit
extended versions of their workshop contributions to be considered for a
book chapter published by Springer.

Authors of accepted papers will be invited to provide a short pitch (2-3
minutes) about their most relevant topic to address in real-world HRI
research, after which there is time scheduled for extended discussion
(10-15 minutes) on that topic with the workshop audience. Advances made
through the discussions will serve to push the sub-field of HRI in
real-world contexts forward.


Organizers
------------------
Maartje de Graaf, PhD, University of Twente, The Netherlands
Somaya Ben Allouch, PhD, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, The
Netherlands
Astrid Rosenthal – von der Pütten, PhD, University of Duisburg-Essen,
Germany


Best,
Somaya Ben Allouch



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S. (Somaya) Ben Allouch, PhD
Research group Technology, Health & Care