Integrating Human Expertise in AI and Robotics Systems

Integrating Human Expertise in AI and Robotics Systems

Abstract: To facilitate the smooth integration of robotic technologies into human environments, new robotic capabilities and user-facing technologies need to be developed. However, to ensure both acceptance and usability of these technologies methods such as user-centered design are required to bridge the gap between developers and users of such technologies. In this talk, I will start by presenting a general framework to integrate knowledge from domain experts and users into AI systems from design to deployment. Then I will support this framework through examples drawn from my previous work in assistive robotics and manufacturing.

Bio: Dr. Emmanuel Senft is a Research Scientist at the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny, Switzerland and a member of the Swiss Young Academy. He leads the Human-centered Robotics and AI group which develops assistive robots by exploring the intersection of participatory design, end-user programming, and interactive machine learning. He obtained his MSc. in micro-engineering from EPFL, his PhD in human-robot interaction at the University of Plymouth, UK. Before joining Idiap, he was a cooperate researcher at ATR in Japan and a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA.