87470 - SOCIAL ROBOTS

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have knowledge about the main social robotic platforms (Nao, Pepper, Kompai and Jibo), the main issues to consider when, and the existing architectural solutions for, designing software for these platforms. The student will also know their functional characteristics, their software development environments and the main existing open source software libraries for developing human-robot interaction and environment perception abilities. At the end of the course the student will be able to identify the most appropriate social robotic platform for addressing a set of specific project requirements. The student will be able to design a software architecture for a social robot and to implement complex functionalities based on interaction and perception abilities.

Course contents

The course will address the main characteristics of social robots and how they distinguish from other types of robots. The program includes the key issues to take into account when designing a social robot and more in general the state of the art in social robotics. Part of the course will also focus on developing a funcitonality/skill for a social robot. 

Readings/Bibliography

Cynthia L. Breazeal. Designing sociable robots. MIT Press, 2002

Siciliano B., Khatib O. (eds) Springer Handbook of Robotics. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Cham

Deb Roy. Grounding Language in the World: Schema Theory Meets Semiotics (2005)

Assessment methods

Critical analysis and discussion of a scientific article provided by the teacher.

Development of a software implementing a skill relevant for a social robot.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Presutti