Launched and headed by Dr Patrice Caire since January 2016, the Social Robotics Lab (SRL), ARG, is part of the Snt-University of Luxembourg.
Objective: Modeling and development of autonomous robots that interact and communicate with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to their roles.
Main activities include:
- Launching and development of Luxembourg United, the first national Luxembourg robot soccer team to participate to international competitions, e.g. RoboCup in the SPL league (NAO) [1/2016- on-going] 1st prize Award of Banque de Lxembourg at the FNR/Luxinnovation/Deloitte Innovation Forum 6/2016.
- Concepts, models and prototypes for a Humanoid Robot Assistant for the History Museum of Luxembourg City in partnership with the City, using Softbank robotics most advanced robot: Pepper. Thanks to our research work on interaction with the NAO robot, we were selected to be among the first universities in EU and USA to get Pepper for research purposes. [1/2016-12/2018]
- CoRobots: Cooperative robots of different kinds (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and humanoids) interacting in Luxembourg Museum of Modern Art. We ran 15 hours per week of scheduled demonstrations to the public during the 6 months period of the exhibition. [8/2014-1/2016]
- CoPains project further development: Collaborative Explanation and Response in Assisted Living Environments enhanced with Humanoid Robots proposal in cooperation with Imperial College London and University College London. Publication: Bikakis et Al. at ICAART 2016.
- Interdisciplinary collaborations with Social Sciences Departments s.a.:
- Museology study of the potential roles of robots in the museum space, and the perception of robots by the public, with the Identity, Politics, Society and Spaces (IPSE) group: 300 questionnaires results presented at the Namur Museums conference 2016
- Modeling and improving Human Robot Interaction (HRI) using conversation analysis and dialogism (reciprocal dynamics of real-time interactions) with the Science of Education & Society ECCS group. Upcoming publication in the International Journal of Social Robotics, 2017, Arend, Sunnen, Caire, Eyjelfson and Voos, „Investigating breakdowns in HRI: a CA guided single case study of a human-NAO communication in a museum environment“. Public Seminar at Mudam: May 2016
- Interactive Media study of multi modal human-robot interaction and interaction models using Activity theory, with the Digital Interaction and Communication Analysis (DICA) group of Dr Max.
- On going work and joint presentation with Ville de Luxembourg Art Historian and museologue MP Jungblutt, at the 2016 Digital Museums conference in Liege.