Here are our selected experiments at a glance.

Attentional capture in natural environments

How, and to what extent, generic human-like behavioural characteristics can trigger adopting the intentional stance to the robot? The first step is to quantitatively analyse the parameters of human reactions to distracting stimuli in a naturalistic environment. As a second step, those behavioural characteristics will be copied on a robot, and participants will observe either a human-like robot reactive to the environment, or a mechanistic behaviour.

Collecting data from real participants

Implementation using iCub simulator

Early attempts of implementation on the actual robot

Gaze leading and gaze following in HRI

How does successful vs. unsuccessful initiation of joint attention with robots affects engagement with them, subsequent interaction, and attribution of human-like traits?

Screen based experiment

Interaction with iCub

Action expectations and gaze following in HRI

Is gaze following during HRI influenced by violation of expectations regarding goal- oriented action sequences?

Mutual gaze in joint attention

Does mutual gaze influence fundamental mechanism of attention?

Dynamic structure of cooperative and competitive joint actions

What is the dynamical structure of joint action behavior in the traditional social Simon task during HRI?

Sense of agency in HRI

The presence of others changes our sense of agency (the perceived relationship between our actions and the external events). Does the same happen during the interaction with artificial and/or mechanical agents? 

© 2019 Instance Project