- 17
- Episodes
- 14
- Ratings
- 2022
- First episode
About Human-Robot Interaction
This is the human-robot interactin podcast series in which we explore the relationship between humans and robots.
- Publisher
- Christoph Bartneck
- Category
- science · society & culture · technology
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 9 May 2022
- Latest episode
- 28 Oct 2025
Latest episodes
17 episodes in the feed.
28 Oct 2025
The Case For Rude Robots
There’s been discussion on whether people should say please and thank you to their Alexa or Claude, but should Alexa, Claude, and their robot relatives always maintain their level of civility when responding back to us? What is the point of (im)politeness in robotics? Linguist Derek Bousfield (https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-derek-bousfield) (expert on human politeness), computer scientist Blake Jackson (https://rbjackson.github.io/index.html) (expert on user expectations of robots in terms of politeness), and psychologist Merel Keijsers (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=p4M67BQAAAAJ&hl=en) (expert on robot bullying) discuss the pros and cons of robots that are able to be rude to humans. Transcript The transcript (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/HRI-Podcast-Episode-035-The-Case-For-Rude-Robots.pdf) of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript (https://share.descript.com/view/B3bG9UvPV4I). HRI-Podcast-Episode-035-The-Case-For-Rude-Robots (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/HRI-Podcast-Episode-035-The-Case-For-Rude-Robots.pdf) ISSN 2703-4054 Important Links: * The Influence of Politeness Behavior on User Compliance with Social Robots in a Healthcare Service Setting (https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/74217017/Lee2017_Article_TheInfluenceOfPolitenessBehavi-libre.pdf?1636097393=&response-content-disposition=inline;+filename=The_Influence_of_Politeness_Behavior_on.pdf&Expires=1761286688&Signature=Bpc7daTfkkb3nEOTPgQWJ0RBsjSz7ofjTmnd4aoBaevoHjB1ieVoXwdbUpsYQxyyMpIB9g2~1nvdUrublRZcT6SGupxYocX2sICcz7yFl2m4jXRY4LA~uk11r04Ep-ERJ5h8T6JU3BWp5p1eBtvVPVYqBq1we4e01e76ygs8trWvXErK1CnYw5iFwAfLrzaJ27ivftBiCF1FD-XoxpD0xEahFGr4zgRX1v2qhtcjyRWRohGHa5USQoI9KGgtE5MLF~nYFa8kwt5FjFInKzgwumJ0Y5Xm4RvUxo8AvWdcSf9JG-4xb~si9cae-kTcokxl6XEUXXyA5G9ghJWjGom3wA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA) * I’d blush if I could (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367416) * Can’t you see I am bothered? (https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3610977.3634954) * Stop ignoring me! (https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3488241) * Computers are social actors (https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/191666.191703) * The morality of abusing a robot (https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/pjbr-2020-0017/html) * Should we respect LLMs? (https://aclanthology.org/2024.sicon-1.2.pdf) * People are losing loved ones to AI-fueled spiritual fantasies (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/) * Tact in noncompliance (https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3306618.3314241)
1 Dec 2024
Thesis for sale
Andrew Vonasch investigates the shocking scam of stolen theses being published on Amazon and resold, revealing a flood of academic theft and exploitation.
18 Nov 2024
Where Are The Robots We Were Promised?
This episode is a live recording of the Raising the Bar (https://soundcloud.com/raising-the-bar-286698373/sets/raising-the-bar-christchurch) event that took place on 10 September 2024 in Christchurch, New Zealand. I explore the long-standing promise of robots that would handle household tasks and serve as teachers, caregivers, and companions. Despite advancements in social robots, they remain absent from our daily lives. Figures like Elon Musk continue to push the dream of humanoid robots, yet we must first ask what tasks are best left to humans. The rise of human-like robots also challenges us to reflect on our own identity and humanity. Transcript The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript (https://share.descript.com/view/WWQ7j3DJgLI). HRI-Podcast-Episode-033-Where-Are-The-Robots-We-Were-Promised (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HRI-Podcast-Episode-033-Where-Are-The-Robots-We-Were-Promised.pdf) ISSN 2703-4054 Important Links: * Raising The Bar Podcast (https://soundcloud.com/raising-the-bar-286698373) * Able Mable Robot (https://www.bbc.com/videos/cxrrxp7v3qdo) * Tesla Optimus bots were controlled by humans during the ‘We, Robot’ event (https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/14/tesla-optimus-bots-were-controlled-by-humans-during-the-we-robot-event/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK5wqkjKGLBbaIVcn8CQSPQGmbhqM-Dk3jh9x_YWtGRKsxAOtWulgcXW4fWY1yul7S0Z3w5Zn4XpSX6vEMtlFIb7PYHVCqVAWbD3DoifPJNjORILkU5BcoUZ4RZEsEyKtOYOk9G6ruTcr1kSLAafSr66s6dHRKDFO5nOrc523csN)
31 Oct 2024
The One About Ethics
Robots are not just machines. We treat them as if they were somewhat like humans, including applying moral standards and expectations to them. Our behavior towards robots matters. The way we treat them reveals much about ourselves. In today’s episode, we will talk about how being nice is not the opposite of being cruel to them. I invited Bob Douglas and Mary Blossom from the AI Research Institute to introduce us to the topic. They agreed to produce a short podcast dialogue to get us started. I then discussed their introduction with Michael-John Turp (https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/Michael-John-Turp) and Minyi Wang (https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/contact-us/postgrad-directory/minyi-wang). Transcript The transcript (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HRI-Podcast-Episode-032-The-One-About-Ethics.pdf) of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript (https://share.descript.com/view/wv8bap6ZXgy). HRI-Podcast-Episode-032-The-One-About-Ethics (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HRI-Podcast-Episode-032-The-One-About-Ethics.pdf) ISSN 2703-4054 Important Links: * Stuff you should know (https://stuffyoushouldknow.com) * NotebookLM (https://notebooklm.google.com/) * Virtue and vice in our relationships with robots: Is there an asymmetry and how might it be explained? (https://researchmgt.monash.edu/ws/portalfiles/portal/342553137/299815144_oa.pdf)
15 Oct 2024
Puffery, Bullshit and Lies
Robots and AI are being portrayed in overly optimistic videos, television shows and advertisements. Tesla’s Optimus robot is a prime example. In this episode Dwain Allan (https://drdwainallan.com) and Christoph Bartneck (https://www.bartneck.de) interview John Petrocelli (https://psychology.wfu.edu/john-petrocelli/) and Nick Lee (https://www.wbs.ac.uk/about/person/nick-lee/) on how this puffery, bullshit and lies affect consumers and vulnerable people. Such as Suzanne Barron, who believes that robots are possessed by Satan. Transcript The transcript (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HRI-Podcast-Episode-031-Puffery-Bullshit-And-Lies.pdf) of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript (https://share.descript.com/view/UV3jrSrqbHm). ISSN 2703-4054 Important Links: * Suzanne Barron (https://www.christthetruelight.com) * Helplines & Support (https://mentalhealth.org.nz/helplines) * Your Cousin From Boston Dynamics Samuel Adams Super Bowl ad (https://youtu.be/1B-PZTqJGQo?si=7Yhwj8BUsQeOeQv0) * Elon Musk unveils plan for ‘Tesla Bot’ with man dancing in a bodysuit (https://youtu.be/TsNc4nEX3c4?si=wRKJ_Jiyd5Pz4hvv) * Tesla Optimus Robot Can Fold A Shirt (https://youtu.be/cFbK951XkGo?si=u120y2gERTqH6rU-) * Still Not Significant (https://mchankins.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/still-not-significant-2/) * Clarity Communications (http://www.claritycomms.com) by John Leaver who operates Digital Engine (https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalEngine) * Music: Remembering Past Everything by P C III is licensed under an Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
7 Oct 2024
Humanoidization: Costs, Demand, and the Future of Work
Humanoid robot companies are promising that humanoids will fast become our friends, colleagues, employees, and the backbone of our workforce. As Elon Musk described it when he first unveiled Tesla’s Optimus: “It will upend our idea of what the economy is… it will be able to do basically anything humans don’t want to do… it’s going to bring an age of abundance.” But how close are we to this reality? What are the key costs associated with operating a humanoid? Can companies deploy them profitably? Will humanoids take our jobs, and if so, what should we be doing to prepare? To explore these questions, Dwain Allan (https://drdwainallan.com) and I interviewed Will Jackson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/willyjackson/?originalSubdomain=uk), Jo Cribb (https://www.jocribb.co.nz/), and Bruce McDonald (https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/b-macdonald). Transcript The transcript (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HRI-Podcast-Episode-030-Humanoidization-Costs-Demand-and-the-Future-of-Work.pdf) of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript (https://share.descript.com/view/RIw1JmB5v60). HRI-Podcast-Episode-030-Humanoidization-Costs-Demand-and-the-Future-of-Work (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HRI-Podcast-Episode-030-Humanoidization-Costs-Demand-and-the-Future-of-Work.pdf) ISSN 2703-4054 Important Links: * Don’t Worry About the Robots (https://www.onetreehouse.co.nz/product-page/don-t-worry-about-the-robots-new-updated-for-ai-covid-19) NEW UPDATED FOR AI & COVID-19 * Ameca (https://engineeredarts.co.uk/robot/ameca/) * Marc Raibert: Boston Dynamics and the Future of Robotics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VnbBCm_ZyQ)
4 Jul 2024
The New Humanoids
A new wave of humanoids entered the scene, and their creators promised us a bright future. Atlas, Figure, and Optimus are intended to work in spaces that are designed for humans. They are not only targeted at factories, but also at our homes and families. But what promises can they actually meet? Dwain Allan and … Continue reading "The New Humanoids" (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/2024/07/04/the-new-humanoids/)
8 May 2024
After the hype: what can AI really do for human-robot interaction?
Artificial Intelligence promise to improve many aspects of our lives. The current hype, in particular around Large Language Model, raises the questions what of these bold visions of the future is science and what is fiction. AI is not new in HRI. For many decades researchers used it to enable robots to better interact with … Continue reading "After the hype: what can AI really do for human-robot interaction?" (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/2024/05/09/after-the-hype-what-can-ai-really-do-for-human-robot-interaction/)
23 Jan 2024
Peer Review Review
The limits of the peer review process
9 Oct 2023
Should you use chatGPT?
Should you use chatGPT for podcasting? I asked chatGPT this question and used Descript’s Overdub feature to voice the response. Generating this episode was quicker than any other I ever created. Is it any good? Probably not. Still, it shows how quickly it is possible to generate superficial content. This might be useful for enabling … Continue reading "Should you use chatGPT?" (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/2023/10/10/should-you-use-chatgpt/)
21 Sept 2023
The HRI Journal Publishing Guide
Publishing your human-robot interaction study in a journal is an excellent way to share your insights. But in which journal should you publish and what do the journals expect? In this episode, we talk to editors from the three dedicated HRI journals, Agnieszka Wykowska (International Journal of Social Robotics), Selma Sabanovic (ACM Transactions on Human-Robot … Continue reading "The HRI Journal Publishing Guide" (https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/2023/09/22/the-hri-journal-publishing-guide/)
1 Nov 2022
Aldebaran Again
Is this the end of Pepper?
28 Sept 2022
Zombies
Can robots be conscious?
19 Aug 2022
Autonomous Vehicles – Do We Really Know The Risks?
We need objective safety data
30 Jun 2022
Emotions And Consciousness In Robots
The full interview with Douglas Campbell
31 May 2022
The Sad Robot
Do robots need emotions?
9 May 2022
The Story Of Boston Dynamics
From military robots to beer commercials.
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- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.0 / 5
- 4 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 10 ratings
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