Keynote Speakers
Prof. Kerstin Dautenhahn, University of Waterloo
Since August 2018 Kerstin Dautenhahn has been Canada 150 Research Chair in Intelligent Robotics at University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She is cross-appointed with the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, and the Department of Systems Design Engineering at University of Waterloo. She is Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. In Waterloo she is director of Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Laboratory (SIRRL). The main areas of her research are Human-Robot Interaction, Social Robotics, Assistive Technology and Health Technologies. She is Editor in Chief (jointly with Prof. Angelo Cangelosi - University of Manchester, UK) of the Journal Interaction Studies- Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems published by John Benjamins Publishing Company, Editorial Board Member of Adaptive Behavior, Sage Publications, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Social Robotics, published by Springer, and Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems. She is an Editor of the book series Advances in Interaction Studies, published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. Prof. Dautenhahn is on the Advisory Board of the journal AI and Society (Springer). She is an IEEE Fellow, member of ACM, and a Lifelong Fellow of AISB, as well as a member of the Executive Board of the International Foundation for Responsible Robotics. Since 2006 she has been part of the Standing Steering Committee of the IEEE conference RO-MAN (Human and Robot Interactive Communication).
Prof. Rafael A Calvo, Imperial College
Title: Design Engineering for Health and Wellbeing
Abstract:
In this talk I will provide a new angle to understanding the value of design of robots that support wellbeing in areas of mental health, medicine, and education. This area we call positive computing builds on decades of psychological research on motivation and psychological needs.
Substantial investment from government and commercial organisationsin health technology reflects the opportunities to promote uniquely tailored, data-rich and autonomy-supportive tools at scale. Still many technologies for health and wellbeing go un-evaluated, lack an evidence base, or fall short of achieving the impact intended. Among the challenges to success is achieving the deep interdisciplinarity involved, which often requires continuous collaboration among medical professionals, psychologists, HCI researchers, user experience designers, software developers and end-users. While some projects lack theoretical grounding or an evidence-base, others fail to involve users effectively in order to understand their needs, perceptions and contexts, resulting in technologies that go unused. Working together, researchers in HCI, robotics, health and the social sciences can improve the processes by which technologies are developed and distributed for the benefit of population-wide health and wellbeing. In this presentation,
Bio:
Rafael A. Calvo, PhD (2000) is Professor and Director of Research at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London. He is also co-lead at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, and co-editor of the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society. He is director of the Wellbeing Technology Lab that focuses on the design of systems that support wellbeing in areas of mental health, medicine and education.
Prof. Emilia Barakova, Eindhoven University of Technology
Title: Pain and stress management using connected systems of Social Robots and Wearables
Abstract:
Addressing pain and stress as interconnected factors is crucial in providing comprehensive care and improving the well-being of individuals experiencing pain. Numerous user groups, including elderly individuals with dementia, individuals with intellectual disabilities, and young children in postoperative care, and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), face challenges in accurately expressing their discomfort, pain, and worries. To address these issues, our research leveraged interaction design methods that combine robots, wearables, and mobile apps, to transform social robots into effective tools for promoting positive affect, and distraction from pain and loneliness during assistive tasks. In our robot-assisted therapies, we integrated contextual aspects such as a hospital or care home settings, individual patient/client journeys, and personal needs, along with the active involvement of caregivers and parents. Through this multidimensional approach, we aimed to enhance the overall efficacy and impact of assistive robots, providing tailored support to diverse user populations, and facilitating their well-being and quality of life.
Bio:
Emilia Barakova received her Ph.D. in Mathematics and Natural Sciences from the University of Groningen in 1999, and her master’s degree in Electronics and Automation engineering from the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria. She is presently affiliated with the Industrial Design department and serves as the Head of the Social Robotics Lab at the Eindhoven University of Technology. She formerly worked at Riken Brain Science Institute, Wako-shi, Japan, the German-Japanese Robotics Research Lab, Kitakyushu, Japan, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Barakova specializes in embodied social interaction with and through technology and social and cognitive robotics. She has expertise in modeling social behavior by merging artificial intelligence, cognitive sciences, and robotics. Her present research focuses on the use of social robots for education and special education (i.e. social skills training of children with autism spectrum disorders), and enhancing the well-being of people with dementia and intellectual disabilities. Barakova has served as the program chair for several conferences (including IJSR, IEEE RO-MAN, and IEEE Hybrid Intelligent Systems), and she is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Social Robotics, as well as an editor of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, Interaction Studies, and Transactions of Human-Machine Systems. She has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers.
Prof. Tamsin Ford, University of Cambridge
Tamsin Ford is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. She is an internationally renowned Child Psychiatric Epidemiologist who researches the organisation, delivery, and effectiveness of services and interventions for children and young people’s mental health. Her work is inherently translational and cross-disciplinary, and focuses on how to promote mental health, prevent mental ill-health and respond effectively to children and young people who are currently struggling. After completing her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, she moved to Exeter University Medical School in 2007, where she helped to recruit mental health researchers working across the life-span in addition to developing a thriving Child Mental Health Research Group. She recently moved to the University of Cambridge. Tamsin’s research covers the full range of psychopathology and agencies, practitioners and interventions that relate to the mental health of children and young people. Every interaction with a child presents an opportunity to intervene to improve their developmental trajectory. Her work has direct relevance to policy, commissioning and practice. For example, papers relating mental health to exclusion were extensively referenced in the Timpson report (2019) and she lead the clinical rating for the national child mental health survey, which provided child mental health statistics for the NHS Plan. Tamsin has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals (BMJ, Lancet Psychiatry, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry), and been awarded in excess of £25 million funding from various funders, including NIHR, MRC, Wellcome and ESRC. With over 16,000 times citations (H index 54), she has received numerous awards, including a CBE for services to Psychiatry (2019), Students Guild Best Post-Graduate Research Supervisor (2013) and Margaret Davenport Prize (oral presentation, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2001). She provides research advice to Place2Be and is a board member of ACAMH.