The 8th Furhat Conference on Social Robotics

The Human in Humanoid

Advancing research in Human-Robot Interaction

Tuesday April 29th  5:00-6:40 PM CEST (11:00-12:40 PM EDT)

Welcome to the 8th Furhat Conference


Themed "The Human in Humanoids: Advancing Research in Human-Robot Interaction” the conference will take place on Tuesday April 29th at 5:00-6:40 PM CEST (11:00-12:40 PM EDT).‍Over the past year a large group of robotics companies have made a strong push to accelerate deployment of full-body humanoid robots into human workplaces and into society as a whole. Just as with the widespread adoption of smartphones, the ethics and societal consequences of mass deployment of this technology is still understudied. With production planned to reach thousands of robots in 2025, there is an urgent need for researchers to evaluate the benefits, potential harm and risks of human interaction with these machines. Representing the social side of humanoid robotics, the 8th Furhat Conference is dedicated to bringing thought leaders and practitioners to highlight the most recent discussions and advancements in the field. Join us at this very exciting moment in history and discover the future of Human-Robot Interaction research and socially intelligent humanoid robots.
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Speakers

We bring you experts from leading global research institutions in the field of HRI

Jūra Miniota

Moderator and PhD candidate, KTH

Ms. Miniota is specialising in Socially Embodied Artificial Intelligence focusing on developing social robots that act as enjoyable companions in collaborative settings like tabletop games. Her research explores how robots can make social decisions by using human interaction data and AI models, creating natural, multimodal behaviours.

Dr. Bahar Irfan

Designing Conversational Robots with Large Language Models: From Challenges to Best Practices

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, KTH
Bahar Irfan is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Digital Futures fellow at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, working on large language models for conversational robots. Her research focuses on creating personal robots that can continually learn and adapt to assist in everyday life.

Dr. Theodoros Georgiou

Robots, Residents & Flat Whites : Brewing Warmth in the Age of AI

Assistant professor, Heriot Watt-University

Dr. Theodoros Georgiou received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from The Open University, UK, in 2018. His research at Heriot-Watt lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and healthcare technologies, focusing on improving rehabilitation for physical and neurological conditions through innovative wearable devices, often integrated with robotic agents.

Dr. David Robb

Robots, Residents & Flat Whites : Brewing Warmth in the Age of AI

Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University
Dr. David Robb completed his Ph.D. on Crowdsourced Intuitive Visual Design Feedback in 2015. Dr. Robb contributes to two EPSRC projects on human behaviour in laser system alignment and trust in autonomous systems.

Bruce Wilson, MEng, PhD Candidate

Robots, Residents & Flat Whites : Brewing Warmth in the Age of AI

Research Associate and PhD candidate, Heriot-Watt University

Mr. Wilson holds an MEng in Software Engineering with distinction from Heriot-Watt University, where he received the British Computer Society Prize for best student. His research within this University investigates how storytelling by robots can enhance Human-Robot Interaction, improving understanding, memory recall, and engagement.

Dr. Olov Engwall

Promises and Pitfalls of Social Robots in Education

Professor in Speech Communication, KTH

Olov Engwall is Professor in Speech Communication at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. During the last 20 years he has lead several research projects on how social robots, computer-animated agents and large language models can be used in education to teach and practice languages and mathematics

Dr. Gabriel Skantze

The power of faces in human communication — and why robots need them

Chief Scientist at Furhat Robotics and Professor in Speech Technology, KTH

Gabriel Skantze, Chief Scientist and co-founder of Furhat Robotics, is a Professor in Speech Technology at KTH, specializing in Conversational Systems. He leads multiple research projects and has published over 100 papers on conversational systems and human-robot interaction.

Conference Agenda

See the full agenda below with speaker sessions.

17:00
10 minutes
Jūra Miniota (Moderator) and Samer Al Moubayed
Opening
17:10
20 minutes
Dr. Gabriel Skantze
The power of faces in human communication — and why robots need them
17:30
15 minutes
Dr. Bahar Irfan
Designing Conversational Robots with Large Language Models: From Challenges to Best Practices
17:45
5 minutes
Coffee Break
17:50
15 minutes
Dr. Theodoros Georgiou, Dr. David Robb and Bruce Wilson
Robots, Residents & Flat Whites : Brewing Warmth in the Age of AI
18:05
10 minutes
Furhat Feature Annoncement
18:15
15 minutes
Dr. Olov Engwall
Promises and Pitfalls of Social Robots in Education
18:30
10 minutes
Closing Remarks
New Feature Announcements

Besides hearing from experts in the field of Human-Robot Interaction, the Furhat team will also be unveiling new features for the Furhat SDK and the Furhat robot platforms, including tools to further customize robot characters and create advanced integrations using LLMs.

Highlights from previous conferences

Explore highlights from some our previous conferences.

The 6th Furhat Conference – Panel Discussion

This panel discussion brought together Håkan Lidbo, an innovative Swedish musician and producer; Ross Mead, CEO and founder of Semio, a robotics company that specializes in developing social communication technologies for robots; Gabriel Skantze, a distinguished Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Chief Scientist at Furhat Robotics; as well as Amanda Stenberg, from the Swedish Art Centre to discuss social robotics applicaitons in business, education, art, and research.

The 5th Furhat Conference – Joscha Bach (Keynote)

Joscha Bach, referred to as the magician of consciousness, is a renowned AI researcher and cognitive scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of AI. Joscha’s work is focused on developing AI systems that are more transparent, ethical, and robust. He is also a strong advocate for the development of AI that is aligned with human values and goals.

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