16-467: Human-Robot Interaction (Spring 2025)
Course Info
Syllabus
Time: Monday & Wednesday 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Location: Posner Hall (POS) 151
Instructors: Zackory Erickson and Michelle Zhao
Office Hours:
Mon 2:30-3:30 PM, NSH 4519 (TA Abena)
Tue 1-2 PM, NSH 4519 (Michelle)
Wed 2 - 3 PM, NSH 4627 (Zackory)
Thu 1-2 PM, Hamerschlag B140 (TA Diana)
Course Description
The basic objective in the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is to create natural and effective interactions between people and robots. This area is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together methods and techniques from robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, design, psychology, education, and other fields. This course provides an introductory-level overview of the field of HRI. It is primarily lecture-based, with in-class participatory exercises, assignments, a final exam, and a group term project that will enable students to put theory to practice. Topics covered will include technologies that enable human-robot interactions, the psychology of interaction between people and robots, and how to design and conduct HRI studies. This course has no prerequisites, but some basic familiarity with programming is recommended for the term project.
Should I take this course? This class is designed for advanced undergraduates who are interested in a survey of human-robot interaction. While we will cover some specific algorithms and techniques, the main goal of the class is to provide a broad view of this diverse and interdisciplinary field, which includes learning about the computer science, engineering, psychology, and design aspects of HRI. The term project will give students a chance to delve deeply into a specific area of interest. Students will get the most out of this class if they complete assigned readings, participate during class, and put consistent effort toward their term project throughout the semester.
Schedule (Tentative)
| Date | Topic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Mon, Jan 13 | Introduction | Syllabus |
| Week 1 Wed, Jan 15 | HRI Survey | |
| Week 2 Mon, Jan 20 | No class; MLK Day | |
| Week 2 Wed, Jan 22 | Autonomy and Final Project Discussion | |
| Week 3 Mon, Jan 27 | Appearance and Anthropomorphism | |
| Week 3 Wed, Jan 29 | Nonverbal communication I | |
| Week 4 Mon, Feb 3 | Nonverbal communication II | Term project: ideation |
| Week 4 Wed, Feb 5 | Verbal communication and Emotions | |
| Week 5 Mon, Feb 10 | Study Design I | |
| Week 5 Wed, Feb 12 | Study Design II | Term project: check in #1 |
| Week 6 Mon, Feb 17 | Exercise: Design a study | |
| Week 6 Wed, Feb 19 | Data Analysis I | Term project: background |
| Week 7 Mon, Feb 24 | Data Analysis II | |
| Week 7 Wed, Feb 26 | Exercise: Analyze data | Term project: check in #2 |
| Week 8 Mon, Mar 3 | No class; Spring break | |
| Week 8 Wed, Mar 5 | No class; Spring break | |
| Week 9 Mon, Mar 10 | Intentions and Theory of Mind | |
| Week 9 Wed, Mar 12 | Implicit Communication | Term project: specification |
| Week 10 Mon, Mar 17 | Trust and Persuasion | |
| Week 10 Wed, Mar 19 | Social Navigation | Term project: check in #3 |
| Week 11 Mon, Mar 24 | Learning from Humans | |
| Week 11 Wed, Mar 26 | Collaboration | |
| Week 12 Mon, Mar 31 | Exercise: MDPs, Intent Inference | |
| Week 12 Wed, Apr 2 | Assistive Robotics | Term project: check in #4 |
| Week 13 Mon, Apr 7 | Consumer Robotics | |
| Week 13 Wed, Apr 9 | Industrial and Military Robotics | |
| Week 14 Mon, Apr 14 | AMA with CMU HRI grad students | |
| Week 14 Wed, Apr 16 | Illah Nourbakhsh: Ethics and Societal Impact | |
| Week 15 Mon, Apr 21 | Course Project Presentations | |
| Week 15 Wed, Apr 23 | Course Project Presentations |