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Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is the study of interaction and collaboration between humans and robots. The HRI team is based in Clayton where we have indoor and outdoor robot testing facilities for research and development. Our labs feature diverse robots, sensors, and terrains for testing a wide range of human-robot teaming scenarios. We also have a research partnership with Monash University to facilitate cutting-edge robotics projects that draw together capability from both organisations.

It is a multidisciplinary field involving contributions from artificial intelligence, robotics, human-computer interaction, foundation models, multimodal behavioural analytics, design, psychology, and philosophy. The primary goal of HRI is to create robots that can interact with humans in a safe, intuitive, and socially acceptable manner.

The HRI team combines human intelligence with robot autonomy to achieve effective human-robot teaming.

We focus on three main HRI capabilities:

  • Natural interface: understanding human behaviours and mental models. We develop intuitive robots capable of multimodal communication, lowering the barrier of entry and allowing an operator to supervise multiple robots.
  • Learning and adaptation: human in-the-loop and on-the-loop inputs. We develop teachable robots that evolve with dynamic environments and requirements, adjusting its autonomy and actions proactively to deliver trustworthy performance.
  • Human-centred evaluation: user-informed performance metrics combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We develop beneficial robots that enhance human productivity and safety, delivering socially responsible outcomes.

For more information visit our Human-Robot Interaction research.

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Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is the study of interaction and collaboration between humans and robots. The HRI team is based in Clayton where we have indoor and outdoor robot testing facilities for research and development. Our labs feature diverse robots, sensors, and terrains for testing a wide range of human-robot teaming scenarios. We also have a research partnership with Monash University to facilitate cutting-edge robotics projects that draw together capability from both organisations.

It is a multidisciplinary field involving contributions from artificial intelligence, robotics, human-computer interaction, foundation models, multimodal behavioural analytics, design, psychology, and philosophy. The primary goal of HRI is to create robots that can interact with humans in a safe, intuitive, and socially acceptable manner.

The HRI team combines human intelligence with robot autonomy to achieve effective human-robot teaming.

We focus on three main HRI capabilities:

  • Natural interface: understanding human behaviours and mental models. We develop intuitive robots capable of multimodal communication, lowering the barrier of entry and allowing an operator to supervise multiple robots.
  • Learning and adaptation: human in-the-loop and on-the-loop inputs. We develop teachable robots that evolve with dynamic environments and requirements, adjusting its autonomy and actions proactively to deliver trustworthy performance.
  • Human-centred evaluation: user-informed performance metrics combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We develop beneficial robots that enhance human productivity and safety, delivering socially responsible outcomes.

For more information visit our Human-Robot Interaction research.

[Image shows a scientist in a room on a computer.]

[Image changes to show a yellow, quadruped robot that moves a little like a dog.]

[Image changes to show the robot walking up a grassy slope. It steps over a wooden border on to a patch of garden mulch.]

[Image changes to show the robot doing a U turn and walking off the garden mulch. It steps over the wooden border and walks across a patch of grass.]

[Image changes to show the robot stepping up onto a set of black plastic crates that move from being knocked by the robot’s feet.]

[Images changes to show the robot stepping off the crates and walking down a grassy slope onto a bitumen area. The robot turns around and stops.]

[Images changes to show a TV monitor with a map on it that shows where the robot has been.]

The latest addition to CSIRO’s Data61 Human-Robot Interaction facilities: an outdoor robot playground, at our Clayton site in Victoria. CSIRO's Wildcat and NavStack enable the Boston Dynamics Spot quadruped robot, named Bingo, to map and navigate autonomously within various areas of the playground – bitumen, a grassy slope, rock yard and an unstable platform.