Publications

2024

1. Mr.LfD: A Mixed Reality Interface for Robot Learning from Demonstration

   Jiahao Chen , Antony Chacon , Muhammad Bilal , Qiushi Zhou , and Wafa Johal

   In Proceedings of the 36th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (OzCHI ’24), November 30–December 4, 2024, Brisbane, Australia , 2024

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{chen2024,
     title = {Mr.LfD: A Mixed Reality Interface for Robot Learning from Demonstration},
     author = {Chen, Jiahao and Chacon, Antony and Bilal, Muhammad and Zhou, Qiushi and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 36th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (OzCHI '24), November 30--December 4, 2024, Brisbane, Australia},
     organization = {ACM},
     year = {2024}
   }

2. Improving Robot Learning from Demonstration via Competitive Interactions and User Interface Interventions

   Ornnalin Phaijit , Claude Sammut , and Wafa Johal

   In 2024 Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation (ACRA 2024) , 2024

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{phaijit2024,
     title = {Improving Robot Learning from Demonstration via Competitive Interactions and User Interface Interventions},
     author = {Phaijit, Ornnalin and Sammut, Claude and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {2024 Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation (ACRA 2024)},
     year = {2024}
   }

3. Beyond Success: Quantifying Demonstration Quality in Learning from Demonstration

   Muhammad Bilal , Nir Lipovetzky , Denny Oetomo , and Wafa Johal

   In 2024 IEEE/RSJ International conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) , 2024

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{bilal2024,
     title = {Beyond Success: Quantifying Demonstration Quality in Learning from Demonstration},
     author = {Bilal, Muhammad and Lipovetzky, Nir and Oetomo, Denny and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {2024 IEEE/RSJ International conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)},
     organization = {IEEE},
     year = {2024}
   }

4. Stuet: Dual Stewart Platforms for Pinch Grasping Objects in VR

   Ulan Kelesbekov , Gabriele Marini , Bai Zhongyi , Wafa Johal, Eduardo Velloso , and Jarrod Knibbe

   In 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) , 2024

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{ulan2024,
     title = {Stuet: Dual Stewart Platforms for Pinch Grasping Objects in VR},
     author = {Kelesbekov, Ulan and Marini, Gabriele and Zhongyi, Bai and Johal, Wafa and Velloso, Eduardo and Knibbe, Jarrod},
     booktitle = {2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)},
     organization = {IEEE},
     year = {2024}
   }

5. Exploring Data Agency and Autonomous Agents as Embodied Data Visualizations

   Sarah Schömbs , Jorge Goncalves , and Wafa Johal

   arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.04598, 2024

   Bib PDF

   @article{schombs2024exploring,
     title = {Exploring Data Agency and Autonomous Agents as Embodied Data Visualizations},
     author = {Sch{\"o}mbs, Sarah and Goncalves, Jorge and Johal, Wafa},
     journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.04598},
     year = {2024}
   }

6. Effects of Shared Control on Cognitive Load and Trust in Teleoperated Trajectory Tracking

   Jiahe Pan , Jon Eden , Denny Oetomo , and Wafa Johal

   Robotics and Automation Letters, 2024

   Bib PDF

   @article{pan2024,
     title = {Effects of Shared Control on Cognitive Load and Trust in Teleoperated Trajectory Tracking},
     author = {Pan, Jiahe and Eden, Jon and Oetomo, Denny and Johal, Wafa},
     journal = {Robotics and Automation Letters},
     volume = {},
     pages = {},
     year = {2024},
     publisher = {IEEE},
   }

7. Robot-Assisted Decision-Making: Unveiling the Role of Uncertainty Visualisation and Embodiment

   Sarah Schömbs , Saumya Pareek , Jorge Goncalves , and Wafa Johal

   In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’24) , Honolulu, HI, USA, May 2024

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{schombs2024b,
     author = {Sch{\"o}mbs, Sarah and Pareek, Saumya and Goncalves, Jorge and Johal, Wafa},
     title = {Robot-Assisted Decision-Making: Unveiling the Role of Uncertainty Visualisation and Embodiment},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24)},
     year = {2024},
     month = may,
     dates = {11--16},
     location = {Honolulu, HI, USA},
     acmdoi = {10.1145/3613904.3642911},
     acmisbn = {979-8-4007-0330-0/24/05},
     publisher = {ACM},
   }

8. FaceVis: Exploring a Robot’s Face for Affective Visualisation Design

   Sarah Schömbs , Jiahe Pan , Yan Zhang , Jorge Goncalves , and Wafa Johal

   May 2024

   Bib PDF Video Website

   @article{schombs2024facevis,
     title = {FaceVis: Exploring a Robot’s Face for Affective Visualisation Design},
     author = {Sch{\"o}mbs, Sarah and Pan, Jiahe and Zhang, Yan and Goncalves, Jorge and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24)},
     year = {2024},
   }

9. Designing an Introductory HRI Course

   Henny Admoni , Wafa Johal, Daniel Szafir , and Anara Sandygulova

   In Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction , Boulder,CO,USA, May 2024

   Abs Bib PDF

   Human-robot interaction is now an established discipline. Dozens of HRI courses exist at universities worldwide, and some institutions even offer degrees in HRI. However, although many students are being taught HRI, there is no agreed-upon curriculum for an introductory HRI course. In this workshop, we aim to reach community consensus on what should be covered in such a course. Through interactive activities like panels, breakout discussions, and syllabus design, workshop participants will explore the many topics and pedagogical approaches for teaching HRI. They will then distill their findings into a single example introductory HRI curriculum. Output from this workshop will include a short paper explaining this curriculum and an example syllabus that can be used and adapted by HRI educators.

   @inproceedings{admoni2024,
     author = {Admoni, Henny and Johal, Wafa and Szafir, Daniel and Sandygulova, Anara},
     title = {Designing an Introductory HRI Course},
     year = {2024},
     isbn = {9798400703232},
     publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
     address = {New York, NY, USA},
     url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3610978.3638165},
     doi = {10.1145/3610978.3638165},
     booktitle = {Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction},
     pages = {1302–1304},
     numpages = {3},
     keywords = {human-robot interaction, pedagogy},
     location = {Boulder,CO,USA},
     series = {HRI '24}
   }

10. Explainability for Human-Robot Collaboration

    Elmira Yadollahi , Marta Romeo , Fethiye Irmak Dogan , Wafa Johal, Maartje De Graaf , Shelly Levy-Tzedek , and Iolanda Leite

    In Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction , Boulder,CO,USA, May 2024

    Abs Bib PDF

    In human-robot collaboration, explainability bridges the communication gap between complex machine functionalities and humans. An active area of investigation in robotics and AI is understanding and generating explanations that can enhance collaboration and mutual understanding between humans and machines. A key to achieving such seamless collaborations is understanding end-users, whether naive or expert, and tailoring explanation features that are intuitive, user-centred, and contextually relevant. Advancing on the topic not only includes modelling humans’ expectations for generating the explanations but also requires the development of metrics to evaluate generated explanations and assess how effectively autonomous systems communicate their intentions, actions, and decision-making rationale. This workshop is designed to tackle the nuanced role of explainability in enhancing the efficiency, safety, and trust in human-robot collaboration. It aims to initiate discussions on the importance of generating and evaluating explainability features developed in autonomous agents. Simultaneously, it addresses various challenges, including bias in explainability and downsides of explainability and deception in human-robot interaction.

    @inproceedings{Yadollahi2024,
      author = {Yadollahi, Elmira and Romeo, Marta and Dogan, Fethiye Irmak and Johal, Wafa and De Graaf, Maartje and Levy-Tzedek, Shelly and Leite, Iolanda},
      title = {Explainability for Human-Robot Collaboration},
      year = {2024},
      isbn = {9798400703232},
      publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
      address = {New York, NY, USA},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3610978.3638154},
      doi = {10.1145/3610978.3638154},
      booktitle = {Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction},
      pages = {1364–1366},
      numpages = {3},
      keywords = {XAI, explainable robotics, human-centered robot explanations},
      location = {Boulder,CO,USA},
      series = {HRI '24}
    }

11. Transferability of HRI Research: Potential and Challenges

    Wafa Johal

    arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.05802, May 2024

    Bib PDF

    @article{johal2024transferability,
      title = {Transferability of HRI Research: Potential and Challenges},
      author = {Johal, Wafa},
      journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.05802},
      year = {2024}
    }

2023

1. Robots for Learning 7 (R4L) A Look from Stakeholders’ Perspective

   Daniel C Tozadore , Jauwairia Nasir , Sarah Gillet , Rianne Berghe , Arzu Guneysu , and Wafa Johal

   In Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction , May 2023

   Bib

   @inproceedings{tozadore2023robots,
     title = {Robots for Learning 7 (R4L) A Look from Stakeholders' Perspective},
     author = {Tozadore, Daniel C and Nasir, Jauwairia and Gillet, Sarah and van den Berghe, Rianne and Guneysu, Arzu and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction},
     pages = {935--937},
     year = {2023}
   }

2. Culture in Social Robots for Education

   Barbara Bruno , Aida Amirova , Anara Sandygulova , Birgit Lugrin , and Wafa Johal

   In Cultural Robotics: Social Robots and Their Emergent Cultural Ecologies , May 2023

   Bib

   @incollection{bruno2023culture,
     title = {Culture in Social Robots for Education},
     author = {Bruno, Barbara and Amirova, Aida and Sandygulova, Anara and Lugrin, Birgit and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Cultural Robotics: Social Robots and Their Emergent Cultural Ecologies},
     pages = {127--145},
     year = {2023},
     publisher = {Springer International Publishing Cham}
   }

3. User Interface Interventions for Improving Robot Learning from Demonstration

   Ornnalin Phaijit , Claude Sammut , and Wafa Johal

   In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , May 2023

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{phaijit2023user,
     title = {User Interface Interventions for Improving Robot Learning from Demonstration},
     author = {Phaijit, Ornnalin and Sammut, Claude and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {152--161},
     year = {2023},
   }

4. Championing Design Knowledge in Human-Drone Interaction Research

   Mafalda Gamboa , Sara Ljungblad , Wafa Johal, Omar Mubin , and Mohammad Obaid

   In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , May 2023

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{gamboa2023championing,
     title = {Championing Design Knowledge in Human-Drone Interaction Research},
     author = {Gamboa, Mafalda and Ljungblad, Sara and Johal, Wafa and Mubin, Omar and Obaid, Mohammad},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {365--368},
     year = {2023}
   }

5. Speech-Gesture GAN: Gesture Generation for Robots and Embodied Agents

   Carson Yu Liu , Gelareh Mohammadi , Yang Song , and Wafa Johal

   In 2023 32nd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) , May 2023

   Bib

   @inproceedings{liu2023speech,
     title = {Speech-Gesture GAN: Gesture Generation for Robots and Embodied Agents},
     author = {Liu, Carson Yu and Mohammadi, Gelareh and Song, Yang and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {2023 32nd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN)},
     pages = {405--412},
     year = {2023},
     organization = {IEEE}
   }

6. Culture in Social Robots for Education

   Barbara Bruno , Aida Amirova , Anara Sandygulova , Birgit Lugrin , and Wafa Johal

   May 2023

   Abs Bib

   Education is one of the predominant applications that is foreseen by researchers in social roboticsSocial robotics. In this context, social robots are often designed to interact with one or several learners and with teachers. While educational scenarios for social robots have been studied widely, with experiments being conducted in several countries for nearly 20 years, the cultural impact of accepting social robots in classrooms is still unclear. In this paper, we review the literature on social robots for education with the lens of cultural sensitivity and adaptation. We discuss culture theories and their application in social roboticsSocial robotics and highlight research gaps in terms of culture-sensitive design and cultural adaptation in social robots assisting learners in terms of (1) the robot’s role, (2) envisioned tasks, and (3) interaction types. We also present guidelines for designing cross-cultural robots and culturally adaptive systems.

   @inbook{Bruno2023,
     address = {Cham},
     author = {Bruno, Barbara and Amirova, Aida and Sandygulova, Anara and Lugrin, Birgit and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Cultural Robotics: Social Robots and Their Emergent Cultural Ecologies},
     doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-28138-9_9},
     editor = {Dunstan, Belinda J. and Koh, Jeffrey T. K. V. and Turnbull Tillman, Deborah and Brown, Scott Andrew},
     isbn = {978-3-031-28138-9},
     pages = {127--145},
     publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
     title = {Culture in Social Robots for Education},
     url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28138-9_9},
     year = {2023}
   }

2022

1. Let’s Compete! The Influence of Human-Agent Competition and Collaboration on Agent Learning and Human Perception

   Ornnalin Phaijit , Claude Sammut , and Wafa Johal

   In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , May 2022

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{phaijit2022let,
     title = {Let’s Compete! The Influence of Human-Agent Competition and Collaboration on Agent Learning and Human Perception},
     author = {Phaijit, Ornnalin and Sammut, Claude and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {86--94},
     year = {2022}
   }

2. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction

   Christoph Bartneck , Takayuki Kanda , Mohammad Obaid , and Wafa Johal

   May 2022
3. Envisioning social drones in education

   Wafa Johal, Doğa Gatos , Asim Evren Yantac , and Mohammad Obaid

   Frontiers in Robotics and AI, May 2022

   Bib

   @article{johal2022envisioning,
     title = {Envisioning social drones in education},
     author = {Johal, Wafa and Gatos, Do{\u{g}}a and Yantac, Asim Evren and Obaid, Mohammad},
     journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
     volume = {9},
     pages = {666736},
     year = {2022},
     publisher = {Frontiers}
   }

4. Social Drones for Health and Well-being

   Mohammad Obaid , Kıvanç Tatar , Mikael Wiberg , Alan Said , Mattias Rost , Alexandra Weilenmann , Wafa Johal, and Friederike Eyssel

   In Adjunct Proceedings of the 2022 Nordic Human-Computer Interaction Conference , May 2022

   Bib

   @inproceedings{obaid2022social,
     title = {Social Drones for Health and Well-being},
     author = {Obaid, Mohammad and Tatar, K{\i}van{\c{c}} and Wiberg, Mikael and Said, Alan and Rost, Mattias and Weilenmann, Alexandra and Johal, Wafa and Eyssel, Friederike},
     booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 2022 Nordic Human-Computer Interaction Conference},
     pages = {1--4},
     year = {2022}
   }

5. Robots for learning

   Wafa Johal, Tony Belpaeme , and Mohamed Chetouani

   Frontiers in Robotics and AI, May 2022

   Bib

   @article{johal2022robots,
     title = {Robots for learning},
     author = {Johal, Wafa and Belpaeme, Tony and Chetouani, Mohamed},
     journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
     volume = {9},
     pages = {1050658},
     year = {2022},
     publisher = {Frontiers}
   }

6. To Transfer or Not To Transfer: Engagement Recognition within Robot-assisted Autism Therapy

   Nazerke Rakhymbayeva , Zarema Balgabekova , Mukhamedzhan Nurmukhamed , Karina Burunchina , Wafa Johal, and Anara Sandygulova

   In 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) , May 2022

   Bib

   @inproceedings{rakhymbayeva2022transfer,
     title = {To Transfer or Not To Transfer: Engagement Recognition within Robot-assisted Autism Therapy},
     author = {Rakhymbayeva, Nazerke and Balgabekova, Zarema and Nurmukhamed, Mukhamedzhan and Burunchina, Karina and Johal, Wafa and Sandygulova, Anara},
     booktitle = {2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)},
     pages = {1002--1006},
     year = {2022},
     organization = {IEEE}
   }

7. Joint action, adaptation, and entrainment in human-robot interaction

   Christopher Fourie , Nadia Figueroa , Julie Shah , Marta Bieńkiewicz , Benoı̂t Bardy , Etienne Burdet , Phani Teja Singamaneni , Rachid Alami , and 3 more authors

   In 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) , May 2022

   Bib

   @inproceedings{fourie2022joint,
     title = {Joint action, adaptation, and entrainment in human-robot interaction},
     author = {Fourie, Christopher and Figueroa, Nadia and Shah, Julie and Bie{\'n}kiewicz, Marta and Bardy, Beno{\^\i}t and Burdet, Etienne and Singamaneni, Phani Teja and Alami, Rachid and Curioni, Arianna and Knoblich, G{\"u}nther and others},
     booktitle = {2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)},
     pages = {1250--1253},
     year = {2022},
     organization = {IEEE}
   }

8. A Taxonomy of Functional Augmented Reality for Human-Robot Interaction

   Ornnalin Phaijit , Mohammad Obaid , Claude Sammut , and Wafa Johal

   In 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) , May 2022

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{phaijit2022taxonomy,
     title = {A Taxonomy of Functional Augmented Reality for Human-Robot Interaction},
     author = {Phaijit, Ornnalin and Obaid, Mohammad and Sammut, Claude and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)},
     pages = {294--303},
     year = {2022},
     organization = {IEEE}
   }

9. A Demonstration of the Taxonomy of Functional Augmented Reality for Human-Robot Interaction

   Ornnalin Phaijit , Mohammad Obaid , Claude Sammut , and Wafa Johal

   In 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) , May 2022

   Bib

   @inproceedings{phaijit2022demonstration,
     title = {A Demonstration of the Taxonomy of Functional Augmented Reality for Human-Robot Interaction},
     author = {Phaijit, Ornnalin and Obaid, Mohammad and Sammut, Claude and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)},
     pages = {981--985},
     year = {2022},
     organization = {IEEE}
   }

10. Leveraging eye tracking to understand children’s attention during game-based, tangible robotics activities

    Jennifer K Olsen , Arzu Guneysu Ozgur , Kshitij Sharma , and Wafa Johal

    International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, May 2022

    Bib PDF

    @article{olsen2022leveraging,
      title = {Leveraging eye tracking to understand children’s attention during game-based, tangible robotics activities},
      author = {Olsen, Jennifer K and Ozgur, Arzu Guneysu and Sharma, Kshitij and Johal, Wafa},
      journal = {International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction},
      volume = {31},
      pages = {100447},
      year = {2022},
      publisher = {Elsevier}
    }

11. The effect of gamified robot-enhanced training on motor performance in chronic stroke survivors

    Arzu Guneysu Ozgur , Maximilian J. Wessel , Jennifer K. Olsen , Andéol Geoffroy Cadic-Melchior , Valérie Zufferey , Wafa Johal, Giulia Dominijanni , Jean-Luc Turlan , and 5 more authors

    Heliyon, May 2022

    Abs Bib

    Task-specific training constitutes a core element for evidence-based rehabilitation strategies targeted at improving upper extremity activity after stroke. Its combination with additional treatment strategies and neurotechnology-based solutions could further improve patients’ outcomes. Here, we studied the effect of gamified robot-assisted upper limb motor training on motor performance, skill learning, and transfer with respect to a non-gamified control condition with a group of chronic stroke survivors. The results suggest that a gamified training strategy results in more controlled motor performance during the training phase, which is characterized by a higher accuracy (lower deviance), higher smoothness (lower jerk), but slower speed. The responder analyses indicated that mildly impaired patients benefited most from the gamification approach. In conclusion, gamified robot-assisted motor training, which is personalized to the individual capabilities of a patient, constitutes a promising investigational strategy for further improving motor performance after a stroke.

    @article{ozgur2022effect,
      title = {The effect of gamified robot-enhanced training on motor performance in chronic stroke survivors},
      journal = {Heliyon},
      volume = {8},
      number = {11},
      pages = {e11764},
      year = {2022},
      issn = {2405-8440},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11764},
      url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022030523},
      author = {Ozgur, Arzu Guneysu and Wessel, Maximilian J. and Olsen, Jennifer K. and Cadic-Melchior, Andéol Geoffroy and Zufferey, Valérie and Johal, Wafa and Dominijanni, Giulia and Turlan, Jean-Luc and Mühl, Andreas and Bruno, Barbara and Vuadens, Philippe and Dillenbourg, Pierre and Hummel, Friedhelm C.},
      keywords = {Gamification, Robotics, Stroke, Motor rehabilitation, Robot-assisted training, Personalization}
    }

2021

1. 10 years of human-nao interaction research: A scoping review

   Aida Amirova , Nazerke Rakhymbayeva , Elmira Yadollahi , Anara Sandygulova , and Wafa Johal

   Frontiers in Robotics and AI, May 2021

   Bib PDF

   @article{amirova202110,
     title = {10 years of human-nao interaction research: A scoping review},
     author = {Amirova, Aida and Rakhymbayeva, Nazerke and Yadollahi, Elmira and Sandygulova, Anara and Johal, Wafa},
     journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
     volume = {8},
     pages = {744526},
     year = {2021},
     publisher = {Frontiers}
   }

2. Speech-based gesture generation for robots and embodied agents: A scoping review

   Yu Liu , Gelareh Mohammadi , Yang Song , and Wafa Johal

   In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , May 2021

   Bib PDF

   @inproceedings{liu2021speech,
     title = {Speech-based gesture generation for robots and embodied agents: A scoping review},
     author = {Liu, Yu and Mohammadi, Gelareh and Song, Yang and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {31--38},
     year = {2021}
   }

3. The Valley of non-Distraction: Effect of Robot’s Human-likeness on Perception Load

   Daisy Ingle , Nadine Marcus , and Wafa Johal

   In Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI ’21 Companion), March 8–11, 2021, Boulder,CO, USA , May 2021

   Abs Bib

   "Previous research in psychology has found that human faces have the capability of being more distracting under high perceptual load conditions compared to non-face objects. This project aims to assess the distracting potential of robot faces based on their human-likeliness. As a first step, this paper reports on our initial findings based on an online study. We used a letter search task where participants had to search for a target letter within a circle of 6 letters, whilst an irrelevant distractor image was also present. The results of our experiment replicated previous results with human faces and non-face objects. Additionally, in the tasks where the irrelevant distractors are images of robot faces, the human-likeness of the robot influenced the response time (RT). Interestingly, the robot Alter produced results significantly different than all other distractor robots. The outcome of this is a distraction model related to human-likeness of robots. Our results show the impact of anthropomorphism on distracting potential and thus should be taken into account when designing robots."

   @inproceedings{ingle2021,
     title = {The Valley of non-Distraction: Effect of Robot's Human-likeness on Perception Load},
     year = {2021},
     author = {Ingle, Daisy and Marcus, Nadine and Johal, Wafa},
     booktitle = {Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI '21 Companion), March 8--11, 2021, Boulder,CO, USA},
     publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
     keywords = {anthropomorphism, robot design, human-likeness, perception load},
     doi = {10.1145/3434074.3447137}
   }

4. Method of handwritten character recognition confirmation

   Konrad Zolna , Thibault Asselborn , and Wafa Johal

   Nov 2021

   US Patent 11,164,025

   Bib

   @misc{zolna2021method,
     title = {Method of handwritten character recognition confirmation},
     author = {Zolna, Konrad and Asselborn, Thibault and Johal, Wafa},
     year = {2021},
     month = nov,
     publisher = {Google Patents},
     note = {US Patent 11,164,025}
   }

5. Robots for Learning-Learner-Centred Design

   Wafa Johal, Barbara Bruno , Jennifer K Olsen , Mohamed Chetouani , Séverin Lemaignan , and Anara Sandygulova

   In Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction , Nov 2021

   Bib

   @inproceedings{johal2021robots,
     title = {Robots for Learning-Learner-Centred Design},
     author = {Johal, Wafa and Bruno, Barbara and Olsen, Jennifer K and Chetouani, Mohamed and Lemaignan, S{\'e}verin and Sandygulova, Anara},
     booktitle = {Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction},
     pages = {715--716},
     year = {2021}
   }

6. The transferability of handwriting skills: from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet

   Thibault Asselborn , Wafa Johal, Bolat Tleubayev , Zhanel Zhexenova , Pierre Dillenbourg , Catherine McBride , and Anara Sandygulova

   npj Science of Learning, Nov 2021

   Bib

   @article{asselborn2021transferability,
     title = {The transferability of handwriting skills: from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet},
     author = {Asselborn, Thibault and Johal, Wafa and Tleubayev, Bolat and Zhexenova, Zhanel and Dillenbourg, Pierre and McBride, Catherine and Sandygulova, Anara},
     journal = {npj Science of Learning},
     volume = {6},
     number = {1},
     pages = {6},
     year = {2021},
     publisher = {Nature Publishing Group UK London}
   }

2020

1. Research Trends in Social Robots for Learning

   Wafa Johal

   Current Robotics Reports, Nov 2020

   Bib PDF Code

   @article{johal2020research,
     title = {Research Trends in Social Robots for Learning},
     author = {Johal, Wafa},
     journal = {Current Robotics Reports},
     pages = {1--9},
     year = {2020},
     publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
   }

2. Swarm Robots in Education: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities

   Wafa Johal, Yu Peng , and Haipeng Mi

   In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , Virtual Event, USA, Nov 2020

   Abs Bib

   This study reviews published scientific literature on the use of swarm robots for education purposes in the last ten years. It focuses on user studies involving robotics swarm in order to identify the potential contributions of the incorporation of swarm robots as an educational tool and insight future research. We consider here the appearance of swarm robots, the curriculum of the experimental task and the interaction modalities between learners and robots. The outcomes of the literature review are discussed in terms of their existing challenges and opportunities for guiding researchers, educators, and practitioners.

   @inproceedings{johal2020Swarm,
     author = {Johal, Wafa and Peng, Yu and Mi, Haipeng},
     title = {Swarm Robots in Education: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities},
     year = {2020},
     isbn = {9781450380546},
     publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
     address = {New York, NY, USA},
     url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3406499.3418755},
     doi = {10.1145/3406499.3418755},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {272–274},
     numpages = {3},
     keywords = {educational tool, swarm robots, literature review, learning, multi-robot},
     location = {Virtual Event, USA},
     series = {HAI '20}
   }

3. P. 114 Automatic assessment of motors impairments in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review

   T Gargot , D Archambault , M Chetouani , D Cohen , W Johal , and SM Anzalone

   European Neuropsychopharmacology, Nov 2020

   Bib

   @article{gargot2020p,
     title = {P. 114 Automatic assessment of motors impairments in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review},
     author = {Gargot, T and Archambault, D and Chetouani, M and Cohen, D and Johal, W and Anzalone, SM},
     journal = {European Neuropsychopharmacology},
     volume = {40},
     pages = {S71--S72},
     year = {2020},
     publisher = {Elsevier}
   }

4. "If You’ve Gone Straight, Now, You Must Turn Left" - Exploring the Use of a Tangible Interface in a Collaborative Treasure Hunt for People with Visual Impairments

   Quentin Chibaudel , Wafa Johal, Bernard Oriola , Marc J-M Macé , Pierre Dillenbourg , Valérie Tartas , and Christophe Jouffrais

   In The 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility , Virtual Event, Greece, Nov 2020

   Abs Bib

   Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) have been found to be relevant tools for collaborative learning by providing a shared workspace and enhancing joint visual attention. Researchers have explored the use of TUIs in a variety of curricular activities and found them particularly interesting for spatial exploration. However, very few studies have explored how TUIs could be used as a collaborative medium for people with visual impairments (VIs). In this study, we investigated the effect of tangible interaction (a small tangible robot) in a spatial collaborative task (a treasure hunt) involving two people with VIs. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the design of the TUI on the collaboration and the strategies used to perform the task. The experiment involved six dyads of people with VIs. The results showed that the collaboration was impacted by the interaction design and open interesting perspectives on the design of collaborative games for people with VIs.

   @inproceedings{chibaudel2020,
     author = {Chibaudel, Quentin and Johal, Wafa and Oriola, Bernard and J-M Mac\'{e}, Marc and Dillenbourg, Pierre and Tartas, Val\'{e}rie and Jouffrais, Christophe},
     title = {"If You've Gone Straight, Now, You Must Turn Left" - Exploring the Use of a Tangible Interface in a Collaborative Treasure Hunt for People with Visual Impairments},
     year = {2020},
     isbn = {9781450371032},
     publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
     address = {New York, NY, USA},
     url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3373625.3417020},
     doi = {10.1145/3373625.3417020},
     booktitle = {The 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility},
     articleno = {19},
     numpages = {10},
     keywords = {Spatial cognition, Game, Wayfinding, Robots, Non-visual interaction, Maps, Learning, Haptics, 3D model},
     location = {Virtual Event, Greece},
     series = {ASSETS '20}
   }

5. A Comparison of Social Robot to Tablet and Teacher in a New Script Learning Context

   Zhanel Zhexenova , Aida Amirova , Manshuk Abdikarimova , Kuanysh Kudaibergenov , Nurakhmet Baimakhan , Bolat Tleubayev , Thibault Asselborn , Wafa Johal, and 3 more authors

   Frontiers in Robotics and AI, Nov 2020

   Abs Bib

   This research occurred in a special context where Kazakhstan’s recent decision to switch from Cyrillic to the Latin-based alphabet has resulted in challenges connected to teaching literacy, addressing a rare combination of research hypotheses and technical objectives about language learning. Teachers are not necessarily trained to teach the new alphabet, and this could result in a challenge for children with learning difficulties. Prior research studies in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) have proposed the use of a robot to teach handwriting to children (Hood et al., 2015; Lemaignan et al., 2016). Drawing on the Kazakhstani case, our study takes an interdisciplinary approach by bringing together smart solutions from robotics, computer vision areas, and educational frameworks, language, and cognitive studies that will benefit diverse groups of stakeholders. In this study, a human-robot interaction application is designed to help primary school children learn both a newly-adopted script and also its handwriting system. The setup involved an experiment with 62 children between the ages of 7–9 years old, across three conditions: a robot and a tablet, a tablet only, and a teacher. Based on the paradigm—learning by teaching—the study showed that children improved their knowledge of the Latin script by interacting with a robot. Findings reported that children gained similar knowledge of a new script in all three conditions without gender effect. In addition, children’s likeability ratings and positive mood change scores demonstrate significant benefits favoring the robot over a traditional teacher and tablet only approaches.

   @article{zhanel2020,
     author = {Zhexenova, Zhanel and Amirova, Aida and Abdikarimova, Manshuk and Kudaibergenov, Kuanysh and Baimakhan, Nurakhmet and Tleubayev, Bolat and Asselborn, Thibault and Johal, Wafa and Dillenbourg, Pierre and CohenMiller, Anna and Sandygulova, Anara},
     title = {A Comparison of Social Robot to Tablet and Teacher in a New Script Learning Context},
     journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
     volume = {7},
     pages = {99},
     year = {2020},
     url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frobt.2020.00099},
     doi = {10.3389/frobt.2020.00099},
     issn = {2296-9144}
   }

6. Domestic drones: Context of use in research literature

   Mohammad Obaid , Wafa Johal, and Omar Mubin

   In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction , Nov 2020

   Bib

   @inproceedings{obaid2020domestic,
     title = {Domestic drones: Context of use in research literature},
     author = {Obaid, Mohammad and Johal, Wafa and Mubin, Omar},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction},
     pages = {196--203},
     year = {2020}
   }

7. Acquisition of handwriting in children with and without dysgraphia: A computational approach

   Thomas Gargot , Thibault Asselborn , Hugues Pellerin , Ingrid Zammouri , Salvatore M. Anzalone , Laurence Casteran , Wafa Johal, Pierre Dillenbourg , and 2 more authors

   PloS one, Nov 2020

   Bib

   @article{gargot2020acquisition,
     title = {Acquisition of handwriting in children with and without dysgraphia: A computational approach},
     author = {Gargot, Thomas and Asselborn, Thibault and Pellerin, Hugues and Zammouri, Ingrid and M. Anzalone, Salvatore and Casteran, Laurence and Johal, Wafa and Dillenbourg, Pierre and Cohen, David and Jolly, Caroline},
     journal = {PloS one},
     volume = {15},
     number = {9},
     pages = {e0237575},
     year = {2020},
     publisher = {Public Library of Science San Francisco, CA USA}
   }

8. Gamified motor training with tangible robots in older adults: a feasibility study and comparison with the young

   Arzu Guneysu Ozgur , Maximilian J Wessel , Jennifer K Olsen , Wafa Johal, Ayberk Ozgur , Friedhelm C Hummel , and Pierre Dillenbourg

   Frontiers in aging neuroscience, Nov 2020

   Bib

   @article{guneysu2020gamified,
     title = {Gamified motor training with tangible robots in older adults: a feasibility study and comparison with the young},
     author = {Guneysu Ozgur, Arzu and Wessel, Maximilian J and Olsen, Jennifer K and Johal, Wafa and Ozgur, Ayberk and Hummel, Friedhelm C and Dillenbourg, Pierre},
     journal = {Frontiers in aging neuroscience},
     volume = {12},
     pages = {59},
     year = {2020},
     publisher = {Frontiers Media SA}
   }

9. Cowriting kazakh: learning a new script with a robot

   Anara Sandygulova , Wafa Johal, Zhanel Zhexenova , Bolat Tleubayev , Aida Zhanatkyzy , Aizada Turarova , Zhansaule Telisheva , Anna CohenMiller , and 2 more authors

   In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction , Nov 2020

   Bib

   @inproceedings{sandygulova2020cowriting,
     title = {Cowriting kazakh: learning a new script with a robot},
     author = {Sandygulova, Anara and Johal, Wafa and Zhexenova, Zhanel and Tleubayev, Bolat and Zhanatkyzy, Aida and Turarova, Aizada and Telisheva, Zhansaule and CohenMiller, Anna and Asselborn, Thibault and Dillenbourg, Pierre},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction},
     pages = {113--120},
     year = {2020}
   }

10. Allohaptic: Robot-mediated haptic collaboration for learning linear functions

    Hala Khodr , Soheil Kianzad , Wafa Johal, Aditi Kothiyal , Barbara Bruno , and Pierre Dillenbourg

    In 2020 29th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) , Nov 2020

    Bib

    @inproceedings{khodr2020allohaptic,
      title = {Allohaptic: Robot-mediated haptic collaboration for learning linear functions},
      author = {Khodr, Hala and Kianzad, Soheil and Johal, Wafa and Kothiyal, Aditi and Bruno, Barbara and Dillenbourg, Pierre},
      booktitle = {2020 29th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN)},
      pages = {27--34},
      year = {2020},
      organization = {IEEE}
    }

11. Using tabletop robots to promote inclusive classroom experiences

    Isabel Neto , Wafa Johal, Marta Couto , Hugo Nicolau , Ana Paiva , and Arzu Guneysu

    In Proceedings of the interaction design and children conference , Nov 2020

    Bib

    @inproceedings{neto2020using,
      title = {Using tabletop robots to promote inclusive classroom experiences},
      author = {Neto, Isabel and Johal, Wafa and Couto, Marta and Nicolau, Hugo and Paiva, Ana and Guneysu, Arzu},
      booktitle = {Proceedings of the interaction design and children conference},
      pages = {281--292},
      year = {2020}
    }

12. Iterative design and evaluation of a tangible robot-assisted handwriting activity for special education

    Arzu Guneysu Ozgur , Ayberk Özgür , Thibault Asselborn , Wafa Johal, Elmira Yadollahi , Barbara Bruno , Melissa Skweres , and Pierre Dillenbourg

    Frontiers in Robotics and AI, Nov 2020

    Bib

    @article{guneysu2020iterative,
      title = {Iterative design and evaluation of a tangible robot-assisted handwriting activity for special education},
      author = {Guneysu Ozgur, Arzu and {\"O}zg{\"u}r, Ayberk and Asselborn, Thibault and Johal, Wafa and Yadollahi, Elmira and Bruno, Barbara and Skweres, Melissa and Dillenbourg, Pierre},
      journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
      volume = {7},
      pages = {29},
      year = {2020},
      publisher = {Frontiers Media SA}
    }

13. Learning symmetry with tangible robots

    Wafa Johal, Sonia Andersen , Morgane Chevalier , Ayberk Ozgur , Francesco Mondada , and Pierre Dillenbourg

    In Robotics in Education: Current Research and Innovations 10 , Nov 2020

    Bib

    @inproceedings{johal2020learning,
      title = {Learning symmetry with tangible robots},
      author = {Johal, Wafa and Andersen, Sonia and Chevalier, Morgane and Ozgur, Ayberk and Mondada, Francesco and Dillenbourg, Pierre},
      booktitle = {Robotics in Education: Current Research and Innovations 10},
      pages = {270--283},
      year = {2020},
      organization = {Springer}
    }

14. Exploring the role of perspective taking in educational child-robot interaction

    Elmira Yadollahi , Marta Couto , Wafa Johal, Pierre Dillenbourg , and Ana Paiva

    In Artificial Intelligence in Education: 21st International Conference, AIED 2020, Ifrane, Morocco, July 6–10, 2020, Proceedings, Part II 21 , Nov 2020

    Bib

    @inproceedings{yadollahi2020exploring,
      title = {Exploring the role of perspective taking in educational child-robot interaction},
      author = {Yadollahi, Elmira and Couto, Marta and Johal, Wafa and Dillenbourg, Pierre and Paiva, Ana},
      booktitle = {Artificial Intelligence in Education: 21st International Conference, AIED 2020, Ifrane, Morocco, July 6--10, 2020, Proceedings, Part II 21},
      pages = {346--351},
      year = {2020},
      organization = {Springer}
    }