麻豆影院

Robots could someday be found making beds at understaffed nursing homes, helping homeowners with DIY projects or handling mundane chores on the International Space Station.

But for that day to arrive, they have to become better communicators, says Dan Szafir, a professor in CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 .

听鈥淎s people, we are coded to use nonverbal cues and we are very good at untangling what they mean,鈥� Szafir says. If you鈥檙e working on a car with a friend you might say 鈥淕rab that wrench,鈥� while glancing at the one you want. But if you were working with a robot, that glance would be lost on it鈥攜ou鈥檇 have to verbally spell it out.

Szafir videotapes human co-workers while documenting their facial expressions, gestures and changes in tone of voice. He鈥檒l use the data to develop computer models to program more intuitive robots. He鈥檚 also exploring ways to design robots whose movements are less erratic and who are cognizant of personal space.

鈥淭hey can be loud, robotic-looking and hard to predict,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople find that unsettling.鈥�