Title: Creating Remarkable Human-Machine Interactions: Forays in Object Handovers, Animatronic Gaze and Jedi Force Powers
Speaker: Matthew Pan

Join Zoom Meeting: https://queensu.zoom.us/j/92405728848?pwd=bHBUV0dRUXoyZ2lFYWZadURUeDQ0UT09

Abstract: As robots become increasingly adept at assisting and collaborating with human counterparts, there arises an open question of how robots and humans' interactions should be designed.  My research strives to create human-robot interactions (HRIs) that are efficient, intuitive, and enjoyed by people. In this talk, I will present my work on a series of social and physical HRIs to highlight how these goals can be achieved by studying human behaviours and non-verbal cues. In particular, I will focus on recent work examining the role of non-verbal cues in object handovers and eye gaze and how such cues can be leveraged to create effective encounters with robots. Additionally, I will describe some work in which robotics is combined with virtual reality to generate captivating experiences previously confined to science fiction. I will relate this work to the broader questions in HRI research and discuss how insights gained from these projects pave several exciting avenues of research.

Biography: Dr. Matthew Pan joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Queen's University in September 2021.  Before joining Queen's, Dr. Pan was positioned at Disney Research Los Angeles.