Description:
Robots are entering our world - in homes, hospitals, roadways, schools, and workplaces. How do we make them functional, useful, and acceptable? This course will explore key computational, scientific, and design concepts in human-robot interaction (HRI). We will review foundational and recent papers in the field, and engage in team-based projects with physical robots.
Pre-requisites:
Students should have a deep interest in human-focused research questions and human-centered technology development. Students should be comfortable reading and discussing scientific papers. Additionally, this class requires familiarity with programming, data structures, and basic software engineering (e.g., CSE 8A, CSE 100, CSE 110). Students should be comfortable decomposing a complex problem, selecting suitable algorithms, and implementing them. Prior exposure to robotics is helpful, but not required. Experience using unix-like operating systems is also a plus.
FAQs:
What will the course be like?
Assignments will involve reading HRI research papers and conducting labs with physical robots. Class meetings will be some lecture but a lot of in-class discussions & interactive activities. There is a final project at the end of the quarter.
See videos of some prior year class projects here.
What topics will be discussed in the course?
This course will provide a broad overview of the field of HRI. Topics we'll cover include: Social Signal Processing, Groups and Teams, Robot Learning, Dialogue and LLMs in HRI, Anthropomorphism, and Trust, among others.
When will I hear back about enrollment / how does the enrollment process work?
Students are asked to complete this form. Sometime in mid March you'll receive an email if you've been cleared to enroll with instructions on how to do so.
I didn't hear back, but I really want to take this course. What should I do?
This course tends to have high interest, which is great! However, due to the fact that we work with physical robots, we are limited in resources and space so can't accommodate all students who wish to enroll.
I will be offering CSE 176A/276D (Healthcare Robotics) in 2025 and this HRI course again in 2026. And meanwhile there are lots of other fantastic robotics, AI, and design courses at UCSD you can also take! (See list on page 2).
Can I audit this course?
Due to equipment and space limitations I am unable to support students auditing.
Do you support concurrent enrollment?
Due to the fact that this is a hands-on class and also due to high demand, I am unable to support concurrent enrollment. Please be sure you are available to come to class this Spring (4/1-6/3), Tues/Thurs from 12:30-1:50pm.
