Natural Control
Speech, language, gesture, gaze, switch access, and multimodal input for robotic assistance.
Proposed Full-Day Workshop · HRI 2027
Bridging Embodied Artificial Intelligence and Accessibility
Bringing together the HRI, robotics, accessibility, rehabilitation, and assistive technology communities to shape how people and embodied AI systems work together—building assistance that is usable, trustworthy, adaptable, and centered on the agency of the people it serves.
Workshop proposal in preparation. Participation and scheduling are subject to HRI acceptance.
Image credit
Generated by GPT 5.5 via the ChatGPT interface, following the prompt:
“Generate a picture that could act as a banner for a computer science conference on robotics and accessibility, with a wheelchair user, assistive robot, and researchers prototyping accessible interfaces in a bright studio.”
25-50
participants
1 day
interactive format
6 modes
keynote, papers, demos, panel, breakouts, synthesis
1 agenda
Robotics and access tech intersections.
Workshop Focus
Accessible human-robot interaction starts with user agency.
Assistive robots and embodied systems support mobility, manipulation, communication, navigation, rehabilitation, and everyday activities. Advancing these systems requires coordinated work across hardware, interaction design, autonomy, safety, evaluation, and deployment in real-world settings.
The workshop centers on technical exchange through short talks, live demos, breakout sessions, and structured synthesis. In the spirit of HRI 2027’s “Innovative HRI” theme, participants will compare interaction and evaluation methods, identify research problems, and outline practical next steps for robotic assistance that preserves meaningful user control.
Shared Autonomy
Interfaces for intervention, correction, handoff, uncertainty, and meaningful user control.
Safety and Trust
Feedback, explanation, consent, and failure recovery in everyday assistive contexts.
Participatory Design
Community-led methods, personalization, lived experience in the loop, and long-term deployment.
Proposed Program
A full-day format built around exchange and synthesis.
Planned for March 8, 2027, subject to acceptance and conference scheduling. Short breaks will be accommodated within session blocks.
Welcome and Introductions
Accessibility notes, workshop goals, and participant introductions.
Keynote Framing Talk
Interaction challenges across assistive robotics, accessibility, and user agency (20 min talk, 10 min Q&A).
Paper Presentation Session I
Up to 7 accepted papers, position statements, and early-stage systems (~7 min each, 2 min Q&A).
Demo and Poster Session
Accepted contributions accompanied by demos, posters, and system sketches.
Lunch Break
Informal conversation and networking over lunch.
Paper Presentation Session II
Up to 6 additional accepted papers, position statements, and early-stage systems (~7 min each, 2 min Q&A).
Panel
Agency, autonomy, safety, shared control, personalization, evaluation, and real-world deployment.
Thematic Small-Group Discussions
Caregiving, shared autonomy, multimodal control, visual access, XR for robot interaction, and disability-led evaluation.
Group Presentations and Collaboration Pitches
Groups summarize key ideas, design tensions, research questions, and concrete collaboration opportunities.
Closing and Next Steps
Next steps, website resources, and community-building plans.
Participate
Contribute to the Workshop.
We welcome researchers, practitioners, designers, students, clinicians, and people with lived experience of disability. No particular robot platform or technical background is required.
Participation Details Forthcoming
The call for participation, submission dates, and interest form will be posted here if the workshop is accepted. In the meantime, contact us with research interests, demo ideas, or accessibility questions.
Contact the OrganizersOutputs
Practical outcomes from workshop discussions.
The workshop emphasizes focused synthesis, open research directions, and sustained collaboration beyond the event.
01
Synthesis
Shared Discussion Summary
A concise summary of major themes, recurring challenges, and promising opportunities raised across talks, demos, and breakout conversations.
02
Research
Open Questions and Future Directions
A set of candidate research questions and directions that participants may explore in future projects, studies, and collaborations.
03
Community
Cross-Community Connections
New connections among researchers and practitioners across relevant communities to support follow-on conversations, sharing, and collaboration.
04
Resources
Workshop Materials Archive
A shared collection of available workshop materials such as slides, references, notes, and related resources contributed by participants.
Organizers
A cross-community team spanning HCI, AI, robotics, and accessibility.
Hamza El Alaoui
Carnegie Mellon University
Ph.D. student building cyber-physical human augmentation systems across embedded sensing, machine learning, robotics, speech and audio interfaces, and human-AI collaboration.
Harish Ram Nambiappan
Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor developing assistive navigation and robotic systems that help blind and low-vision people navigate dynamic environments and interact with robots.
Atieh Taheri
Carnegie Mellon University
Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow working across accessibility, human-centered AI, mixed reality, and participatory design for agency and creative expression.
Chen Liang
University of Michigan
Ph.D. candidate designing human-AI systems that make digital and physical interfaces more intelligent and accessible, spanning accessibility, AR, and interaction techniques.
Max Pascher
TU Dortmund University
Postdoctoral researcher studying AI-enhanced HRI, shared-control techniques for assistive robotic arms, autonomous-task intervention, and XR-based prototyping.
Vinitha Ranganeni
Stanford University
Postdoctoral Scholar developing assistive robotics across teleoperation, shared autonomy, navigation, and manipulation, building on prior work leading HRI for Stretch at Hello Robot.
Stephanie Valencia
University of Maryland
Assistant Professor designing equitable assistive technology, open-source hardware, and expressive communication systems with participatory methods.
Zackory Erickson
Carnegie Mellon University
Assistant Professor leading the Robotic Caregiving and Human Interaction Lab, developing robot learning, mobile manipulation, and sensing for physically assistive human-robot interaction.
Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee
Cornell University
Assistant Professor directing the EmPRISE Lab, focused on physical robot caregiving, manipulation, haptic perception, tactile sensing, and real-world assistive systems.
Anhong Guo
University of Michigan
Assistant Professor working at the intersection of HCI and AI to build interactive systems for accessibility, visual access, and human-AI collaboration.
Eshed Ohn-Bar
Boston University
Assistant Professor developing machine-intelligence systems for real-world embodied, assistive, and autonomous applications, including accessible navigation.
Jeffrey P. Bigham
Apple Inc. Carnegie Mellon University
Associate Professor and Director of Human-Centered Machine Intelligence and Responsible AI, working on accessibility technologies, AI/ML design, and deployable interactive systems.
Questions?