InvitedTalks-2026s

Prof. Matarić's research is focused on creating machines that help people help themselves to do their own work and reach their potential. She is a pioneer of the field of socially assistive robotics, which focuses on developing personalized human-robot interaction methods for behavior change aimed at health, wellness, rehabilitation, training and education. The work is inspired by the dual goals of 1) gaining novel insights into human behavior and cognition through human-machine interaction and 2) developing AI systems capable of providing personalized support and assistance to empower users. Her Interaction Lab focuses on socially assistive systems capable of aiding people through social interaction rather than through physical contact. The research involves intelligent human-robot interaction (HRI) and human-machine interaction more generally, using multi-modal behavioral data-driven learning in complex, dynamic, and uncertain real-world environments such as schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and homes by integrating on-line perception, representation, and interaction with people. To address the inherently multidisciplinary challenges of this research, her Lab's work work draws on theories, models, and collaborations from neuroscience, cognitive science, behavioral science, social science, health sciences, and education. Prof. Matarić's earlier research focused on synthesis and analysis of adaptive group behavior for distributed multi-robot control and learning, and humanoid control and learning from interaction, imitation and demonstration. Introduced by Aleksandra Faust