Teaching
The basic objective of human-robot interaction (HRI) is to create natural and effective interactions between people and robots. My HRI courses cover the science of interaction between people and robots, the technologies that enable robot systems to read and respond to humans, and the design of robot systems that operate in rewarding ways with people. HRI is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together knowledge and techniques from robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, design, cognitive psychology, education, and other fields.
16-867: Human-Robot Interaction (graduate)
Typically offered fall semester
This course aims to provide an overview of the state of the art in HRI. As such, it will cover a large number of topics, with examples drawn from research published in the last five years. The course combines lecture, readings, in-class presentations, written reports, and a final project to engage students with the current challenges and approaches in the field. The course also emphasizes the practice of reading and discussing scientific literature to learn and communicate about the most recent progress in HRI.
Should I take this course? This graduate-level course is intended for students interested in HRI research, with an emphasis on empirical human-robot interaction studies and the algorithms that enable human-robot interaction. Students should be prepared to read and present scientific research papers, and to complete a research-based final project in an area of HRI.
16-467: Human-Robot Interaction (undergraduate)
Typically offered spring semester
This course provides an introductory-level overview of the field of HRI. It is primarily lecture-based, with in-class participatory mini-projects, homework assignments, a final exam, and a group term project that will enable students to put theory to practice. This course has no prerequisites, but some basic familiarity with robots is recommended. Programming knowledge is not necessary, but may be useful for the term project.
Should I take this course? This class is designed for advanced undergraduates who are interested in a survey of human-robot interaction. While we will cover some specific algorithms and techniques in depth, the main goal of the class is to provide a broad view of this diverse and interdisciplinary field, which includes learning about the computer science, engineering, psychology, and design aspects of HRI. The term project will give students a chance to delve deeply into a specific area of interest.