Date and period: Monday full day

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/roman25e3d

Organisers:

Ana Tanevska, Pablo Barros, Ginevra Castellano, Lukas Erle, André Helgert, Carolin Straßmann, Sabrina C. Eimler, Adriana Tapus, Jim Torresen, SHANGGUAN ZHEGONG, Toshie Takahashi, Fan Wang, JIAXIN XU, Giulia Perugia, Yuan Feng, Baisong Liu, Maribel Pino, Laetitia Tanqueray

Abstract:

The rising integration of robots across different applications means that a wide audience of people becomes a possible user base. With a wide audience comes a heterogeneous blend of people, The full-day workshop features keynote talks by both industry experts and academic researchers, a presentation of paper submissions, a student methodology workshop, a panel discussion aiming to raise ethical awareness, uncover potential ethical issues for further investigation, and promote the development of ethically informed social robot designs, and a diversity panel designed to establish best practices for ethical and inclusive HRI research and practices. Attendees of all robotics-adjacent disciplines are invited to contribute to this workshop by submitting their work for presentation at the workshop (see call for papers for more details) and taking part in the interactive sessions.
This workshop attempts to get closer to closing these gaps by fostering an exchange between HRI professionals regarding a variety of topics, including: challenges in acquiring and reporting diverse samples, overcoming biases tied to WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples and mitigating discrimination in both research and practice, aligning HRI with ethical guidelines like the ALTAI framework and EU AI Act, exploring privacy, autonomy, trust, and transparency issues and investigating power dynamics, emotional fidelity, and societal biases embedded in human-robot relationships.
each differing in a variety of characteristics (such as age, ethnicity, or gender). At the same time, research in human-robot interaction (HRI) has largely considered homogeneous samples for examining consequences of and prerequisites for ethical HRI. This gap in diverse research findings is accompanied by a lack of comprehensive legal frameworks for interactions with autonomous and AI-enhanced agents, as well as methodological rifts for clustering and sampling diverse audiences for studies. Meanwhile, ethical design challenges, including robotic deception arising in the development and unfolding of human-robot relationships, or inadvertent replication and reinforcement of sociotechnical systems, remain insufficiently addressed within inclusive, interdisciplinary, and legally grounded frameworks.

Date and period: Monday full day

Website: https://www.robot-bond.nl/roman-workshop-2025

Organisers:

Heqiu Song, Mike Ligthart, Daniel Tozadore, Giulia Pusceddu, Anita Vrins, Astrid Marieke Rosenthal-von der Pütten, Tony Belpaeme, Nils Frederik Tolksdorf, Matthijs Smakman, Mike Ligthart, Sofia Serholt, Denise Y. Geiskkovitch, Carmine Tommaso Recchiuto, Alessia Bartolini, Alice Nardelli, Anna Allegra Bixio, Maria Filomia, Alice Stopponi, Antonio Sgorbissa, Elly A. Konijn, Tony Belpaeme, Tessa Beinema, Marieke T. H. van Otterdijk, Peggy van Minkelen, Caterina Ceccato, Veerle Hobbelink

Abstract:

As social robots are increasingly introduced into sensitive contexts such as education and healthcare, it is essential to understand how they can form meaningful, long-term relationships, adapt to individual users, and be deployed ethically and effectively. This interdisciplinary workshop brings together researchers and practitioners from HRI, psychology, education, computer science, linguistics, and design to explore the challenges and opportunities of using social robots with children and younger adults. We will address personalization strategies, socio-affective bonding, ethical concerns, and methodological innovations, with the goal of fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue and advancing responsible and inclusive practices for child–robot interaction in real-world environments.

Date and period: Monday full day

Website: https://bear-workshop.github.io/website/

Organisers:

Francesca Fracasso, Laura Fiorini, Rainer Wieching, Alessandra Sorrentino, Alessandro Umbrico, Luca Raggioli, Luigi D'Arco, Marta Romeo, Antonio Andriella, Jauwairia Nasir, Francesco Vigni, Alessandra Sorrentino, Andrea Rezzani, Utku Norman, Alyssa Kubota

Abstract:

As technology advances and societal needs grow, a hybrid future where humans and social robots collaborate is emerging—especially in healthcare and assistive settings. Social robots support vulnerable populations by providing personalized and adaptive care. Effective human-robot interaction (HRI), however, depends on a deep understanding of human behavior and cultural context. Personalisation, powered by AI and cognitive technologies, enables socially intelligent robots but also poses risks, such as reduced user autonomy, overdependence, and ethical concerns around data use. Achieving an inclusive and ethical HRI future requires balancing the benefits of personalisation with the need to protect autonomy, diversity, and privacy. This workshop is the result of blending together three consolidated workshops that tackled personalisation from various perspectives: Weighing the benefits of Autonomous Robot persoNalisation (WARN), sociAL roboTs for peRsonalized, continUous and adaptIve aSsisTance (ALTRUIST) AND BAILAR (Behavior Adaptation and Learning for Assistive Robotics).

Date and period: Monday full day

Website: https://sites.google.com/oregonstate.edu/ro-man2025workshopbestpractice

Organisers:

Cristina G. Wilson, Patrick Holthaus, Naomi Fitter, Alessandra Rossi, Shelly Bagchi, Bill Smart, Daniel Hernández García, Ross Mead, Daniel Tozadore, Snehesh Shrestha, Antonio Andriella, Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie

Abstract:

This workshop is part of a larger effort by the HRI community to enhance the reproducibility, replicability, and stability of HRI research. We present two distinct approaches that build on past efforts; a) developing formal reporting guidelines and recommended practices that ensure complete information about a research project is available, thereby supporting reproductions, replications, and meta-analyses, and b) determining how to conduct high-value replications, allowing for the assessment of concerns about the stability of HRI research and identification of best practices that promote good applicability.

Date and period: Monday Morning

Website: https://ras4rasm.github.io/

Organisers:

Shaul Ashkenazi, Martim Brandao, Mary Ellen Foster, Masoumeh Mansouri, Jane Stuart-Smith, Tom Williams

Abstract:

Millions of people worldwide leave their countries every year: refugees and asylum seekers may leave due to reasons such as wars, climate change and hostile environments, while the current global economic situation is also producing an increasing number of economic migrants. However, since most HRI research takes place with people in “WEIRD” (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) countries, HRI systems are generally designed for, and evaluated on, people who are familiar with WEIRD communication.

In this workshop, we will explore HRI solutions to provide services and support for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. We will also discuss the ethical issues behind the use of robots for these populations, potential lessons learned from existing work, and work towards HRI that contributes to communities feeling more at home and welcome as they navigate their way in their new countries.

Date and period: Monday Morning

Website: https://www.projects.science.uu.nl/ics-feer

Organisers:

Egon L. van den Broek, Anneloes L. Meijer, Julie R. Pivin-Bachler, Randy Gomez

Abstract:

The adage “it is not what you say but how you say it”, is very much true, not only for human-human communication; but, also for human-robot communication. Part of the equation to achieve natural communication lays in empathy, which enables interpersonal and human-robot connections. Although often claimed otherwise, this is far beyond mere emotion recognition.

Empathic machines have been envisioned for decades. However, despite science’s progress, they have not been realized. Often it is intertwined with affective computing, most noteworthy emotion recognition. We propose to take a step back and study human empathy, instead of mere expression and recognition of emotions. We aim to gather expertise on the relation between empathy and nonverbal communication (e.g., bodily expressions and the tone of the voice) and enable its measurement via human-robot communication.

Theoretical frameworks from linguistics and psychology on empathy, sensors and signals to measure empathy, and models to process the signals and reason about them will be identified. Subsequently, these elements will be connected and a first blueprint for true empathic robots will be outlined in the workshop.

Date and period: Monday morning

Website: To be provided by the authors

Organisers:

Ashita Ashok, Guy Laban, Franziska Babel, Katie Winkle, Rucha Khot, Joel Fischer, Patrick Holthaus

Abstract:

As social robots are increasingly endowed with human-like personas, their design and behavior raise critical questions about deception, ethics, and trust in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). The exploration of both the intentional and unintentional deception embedded in social robots’ persona design is necessary as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and increasingly anthropomorphic robot appearances shape conversational capabilities. While WoZ-controlled robots rely on pre-scripted responses, LLM-integrated robots generate real-time responses, simulating an adaptive persona. However, concerns arise as human interlocutors misinterpret intent or overestimate capabilities despite disclosed limitations (e.g., LLM hallucinations, lack of mobility) due to anthropomorphic features like an expressive face or LED-lit 'brain'. Such cases highlight the risks of external, superficial, and hidden state deception in HRI, facilitated by robot persona, directly influencing user expectations and trust in social robotic systems. A key question is whether users recognize these personas as constructed identities, unknowingly accept the deception, differentiate robot autonomy between WoZ-controlled and LLM-integrated robots, or strategically engage with it for smoother interaction. This workshop will examine how inherently deceptive robot personas influence trust and ethical considerations in long-term interactions, aiming to establish a common consensus on responsible persona design in HRI. By catering to an interdisciplinary discussion, we strive to define transparent and trustworthy approaches for real-world social robots.

Date and period: Monday afternoon

Website: To be provided by the authors

Organisers:

Michaela Kümpel, Michael Beetz, Omar Eldardeer, Alessandra Sciutti, Manuel Scheibl, Britta Wrede

Abstract:

Robots are increasingly expected to perform complex tasks with human-level proficiency in everyday environments. Yet, programming them to learn and execute such context-sensitive activities remains a major challenge. A promising direction lies in co-constructive task learning, where task understanding is developed collaboratively between humans and robots through interactive processes.
This workshop aims to explore the frameworks and strategies needed to achieve interactive task learning (ITL) grounded in shared understanding, multimodal interaction, and cognitive alignment. As attention shifts to large language models (LLMs), we will also discuss their potential and limitations in supporting embodied, human-aligned robot learning.
Key themes include multimodal communication, social feedback, cognitive grounding, and embodied task representation, drawing insights from HRI, cognitive science, and AI. The half-day workshop will include: A keynote by a leading researcher in human-robot learning. Paper presentations on recent advances in ITL (accepted papers). A live demonstration of a VR co-constructive learning system
Structured discussions on shaping the future of human-robot co-learning. We aim to foster dialogue across disciplines and build a shared vision for advancing co-constructive task learning in HRI. Participants will explore how robots can become truly interactive partners that learn in collaboration with humans to support real-world tasks.

Date and period: Monday afternoon

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ro-man2025-inclusive-futures

Organisers:

Adhityan Raja, Rucha Khot, David Unbehaun, Maarten Houben, Minha Lee, Rens Brankaert, Wijnand IJsselsteijn

Abstract:

This workshop aims to explore the ethical, social, and design challenges in engaging vulnerable users in developing Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) for sensitive settings. Aligning with themes of RO-MAN 2025—"Shaping our hybrid future with robots together"—the workshop will address the intersection of SARs and human-robot collaboration, emphasizing how these technologies can empower users, enhance the effectiveness of caregiving & promote engaging and meaningful interactions between humans and robots.

SARs are increasingly deployed in sensitive settings, such as therapeutic environments, rehabilitation centres, and care facilities, to support vulnerable populations. For example, SARs can stimulate positive emotions and decrease stress and agitation for people with dementia in informal and formal care settings. However, the design of these robots often reflects biases that limit their accessibility, trustworthiness, and inclusivity, ultimately impacting real-world usability.

Through the workshop, we seek to uncover implicit biases in SAR design and explore strategies for developing more inclusive and adaptable robotic systems that better interact with vulnerable populations. We introduce participatory design as an approach to designing SARs that are aligned with the real needs, preferences, and lived experiences of users. Finally, we aim to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the ethical considerations surrounding SAR development, reflecting on issues of inclusion, user autonomy, and long-term implications of these technologies, thus contributing to a clearer research direction for the robotics research community.

Date and period: Monday afternoon

Website: https://fomo-hri.github.io/workshop/roman25/

Organisers:

Daniel Hernández García, Marta Romeo, Tony Belpaeme, Micol Spitale, Sara Incao, Carlo Mazzola

Abstract:

The Human - Foundation Model Interaction (FoMo-HRI) workshop aims at bringing together researchers and industry experts across all disciplines in the fields of Human-Robot Interaction, Signal Processing, Conversational Systems and Artificial Intelligence for an interactive and interdisciplinary discussion around the applications and opportunities that emerge from integrating foundation models in the interactive, conversational and reasoning abilities of robots. We will build on the success of the previous edition of the workshop, where we debated both the HRI community skepticism as well their enthusiasm about the new avenues that the introduction of LLMs presents for human-robot interaction, by continuing this discussion focusing on how best can the HRI research community leverage the potential of foundation models for solving not only complex language-related tasks but also for multi-modal real-world grounding and perception tasks. The aim of this workshop is to foster conversations in the community around the novel and innovative ways in which to take advantage of the so called “emergent abilities” of Foundation LLMs. We hope this discussion will help to inform and guide the community towards the design, development and implementation of safe, ethical, and responsible ‘new breed’ of social robots

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: https://wosra.github.io/j-wosmars/

Organisers:

Alberto Olivares-Alarcos, Shelly Bagchi, Daniel Beßler, Amelie GYRARD, Elisa Tosello, Howard Li, Paulo Gonçalves, Gon-Woo Kim, Jaeho Lee, Tae-Yong Kuc, Wonpil Yu, Tomasz Piotr Kucner, Minsu Jang, Ho Seok Ahn, Young J. Kim, Chung Hyuk Park, Rachael Burns

Abstract:

The development of applications in which robots and humans interact and communicate is flourishing both in research and industrial environments, raising new challenges and issues. In this context, ontological formalization, semantic maps generation and standardization emerge as essential elements for shaping a hybrid future with robots that reliably collaborate with and/or assist humans. Related to interaction, it is essential the creation of semantic maps that incorporate contextual and meaningful environmental information. In this context, it is also crucial to identify the best practices and requirements for designing and executing human-subject studies in human-robot interaction. Regarding communication, a vocabulary with clear and concise definitions (e.g. ontologies) is a sine qua non component to enable information exchange among any group of agents (e.g. semantic map sharing, beliefs, plans, etc.), which can be human or non-human actors (e.g. robots).

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: https://r4h-workshop.github.io/

Organisers:

Marwen Belkaid, Joffrey Becker, Serena Marchesi, Marianne Bossema, Rob Saunders, Pan Wang, Somaya Ben Allouch, Eleonora Zedda, Marco Matarese, Marco Manca, Omar Eldardeer, Andrea Rezzani, Francesca Cocchella, Emilyann Nault

Abstract:

The promise of having personal social robots in people’s everyday lives brings a technological, but also sociological, transformation. Researchers need to address complex technical challenges to allow co-robots to autonomously experience people’s environments and interact accordingly. Moreover, different issues have to be addressed as well regarding the role that such co-robots will take on in every aspect of human life. For instance, what makes these machines social? And is their perception as social agents desirable? What dimensions and scales of social life do they cover? Particularly, we are interested in exploring the social robots’ role of empowerment for people. For example, how can social robots empower humans by augmenting rather than replacing human creativity? This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore new concepts in HRI, looking at the role of social robots in creative domains. The full-day program includes expert keynote speakers, participant poster sessions, and a dynamic co-creative design sprint. Together, we’ll explore timely challenges and opportunities, such as the lack of design guidelines for empowerment and the potential of social robots in creative collaboration. Through an interactive co-creative design sprint, we will engage in a structured process of mapping, sketching, storyboarding, (experiential) prototyping, and discussion. The workshop offers the opportunity to experiment, connect, and shape the future of HRI to researchers, designers, artists, and developers. Desired outcomes cover social robotics in the direction of designing robots for empowerment and co-creativity, insights into how HRI design choices affect the interaction, socialness, and outcomes on empowerment, and co-creativity. The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion to synthesize findings and discuss general issues related to the role and perception of social robots, working towards guidelines for the design of social robots for creative empowerment.

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: scrita.herts.ac.uk

Organisers:

Alessandra Rossi, Patrick Holthaus, Sílvia Moros, Gabriella Lakatos, Ali Fallahi, Murat Kirtay, Marie Postma, Erhan Oztop

Abstract:

The TRUST workshop is the result of a collaboration between two established workshops in the field of Human-Robot Interaction: SCRITA (Trust, Acceptance and Social Cues in Human-Robot The The TRUST workshop thus provides a unique forum for synthesizing these perspectives, bringing together researchers from robotics, psychology, AI, and HRI to explore how trust can be modeled, measured, and maintained in complex, real-world interactions. It aims to generate novel insights and guidelines for designing trustworthy robotic systems capable of adapting to and thriving in diverse human environments.
On the other hand, SCRITA focuses on people’s trust and acceptance of robots in a wide range of social and collaborative contexts. Previous SCRITA workshops have highlighted progress in short-term and controlled interaction studies but also emphasized the need for robust, unambiguous metrics for evaluating human trust in more realistic and dynamic environments. SCRITA promotes cross-disciplinary dialogue to identify key factors affecting trust and to develop novel methodologies to measure and foster trust in long-term human-robot relationships.
RTSS component addresses a critical challenge in the development of future human-robot symbiotic societies: enabling robots to form trustworthy interactions with both human and robotic partners. While trust from the human perspective has been extensively studied, RTSS emphasizes the need to explore how autonomous agents assess and establish trust in heterogeneous peers. It promotes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and designing mechanisms for robot trust, with the aim of advancing technological, social, and ethical aspects of symbiotic interaction.
Interaction) and RTSS (Robot Trust for Symbiotic Societies). This joint initiative brings together the complementary goals of these workshops to advance research on trust from both the human and robot perspectives.

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: https://www.pubrob.org/events/2025

Organisers:

Mary Ellen Foster, Ron Petrick, Manuel Giuliani, Ana Müller, Caterina Neef, Sara Cooper, Michael Schiffmann, Alexander Eberhard, Oliver Chojnowski, Barbara Bruno

Abstract:

As robots become more integrated into everyday life—serving as receptionists, tour guides, home assistants, or companions—they face the complex realities of real-world deployment: unpredictable environments, dynamic social contexts, and human expectations that often exceed current capabilities. PubRob-Fails 2025 invites researchers, designers, and practitioners to reflect critically on the technical, social, and organisational challenges of deploying robots in public and private spaces. We encourage open discussion of both successes and failures, including stories that rarely make it into traditional conference sessions—those involving unexpected breakdowns, messy real-world data, and valuable lessons learned. This workshop offers a platform to explore what happens when robots meet reality, and how the HRI community can grow by sharing not only what works, but what doesn’t. Embracing a culture of “failing forward,” we aim to transform setbacks into steppingstones for progress, fostering a culture of error, acknowledgement, and transparency that can unlock the full potential of HRI research. This workshop is intended for HRI researchers, roboticists, designers, UX professionals, and others interested in the complexities of real-world interaction. We especially encourage submissions from those conducting field deployments or experimenting outside the lab.

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/cohabit-workshop2025/home

Organisers:

Doreen Jirak, Di Fu, Francisco Cruz, Chaona Chen, Tetsunari Inamura, Josie Hughes, Sethu Vijayakumar, Shigeki Sugano, Tomoyuki Noda, Jingwen Yang, Raquel Salcedo Gil, Ruohan Zhang.

Abstract:

This interdisciplinary workshop explores how to design human-centered systems that support effective and ethical collaboration between humans and robots. We focus on employee adaptation, changes in job roles and team dynamics, and the psychological and behavioral aspects of working with robots. We also highlight advancements in Explainable AI (XAI) and Explainable Reinforcement Learning (XRL), examining how explainability impacts trust, shared autonomy, and decision-making in HRI/HAI. Topics include non-verbal cues, cognitive models of explanation, and inclusive, personalized interfaces. Finally, the workshop considers how AI robots can enhance well-being by addressing emotional and psychological needs, and how Virtual Reality (VR) can support learning and confidence in human-robot interaction. We invite contributions from across disciplines to shape a collaborative, human-centered future.

Date and period: Friday full day

Website: https://visprogmr2025.hce-hub.de/

Organisers:

Tobias Doernbach, David Unbehaun, Barbara Kühnlenz

Abstract: This workshop intends to raise the awareness for the need of behavior creation tools for untrained users. Real-life service robot use in changing, interactive scenarios is still not as wide-spread as desired by researchers and industry. One reason for this is the partly low usability level of the behavior creation process, especially for multi-robot scenarios. Therefore, in commercial settings where multiple robots are supposed to work together, e.g. in a restaurant with a greeter/waiter and a server robot, the owner in most cases cannot easily adapt and change the scenario to changing business needs.

In this workshop, we plan to discuss the needs of untrained users, develop interaction scenarios, showcase a method and tooling. Eventually, research directions for efficient visual programming in multi-robot scenarios are derived and summarized to promote the establishment of service robots as easily customizable and flexible team members.

Date and period: Friday Morning

Website: https://activeself.de/movement-matters/

Organisers:

Kristina Nikolovska, Verena Vanessa Hafner, Dimosthenis Kontogiorgos, Doris Pischedda, Francesco Maurelli, Jan Pohl, Anna L. Lange

Abstract:

Can a robot’s movement make us believe it is intelligent? The Turing Test has long served as a benchmark for evaluating artificial intelligence through language. Yet, in real-world settings, intelligence is not expressed through language alone. As robots increasingly operate in dynamic human environments, the ability to recognize, interpret, and generate non-verbal behavior becomes equally critical.
This workshop addresses the growing need to assess robot intelligence and human-likeness through movement. It explores how non-verbal behaviors, such as navigation, approach strategies, and gestures, can serve as valid indicators of agency, intersectionality, and social competence. Rather than focusing solely on dialogue, we invite discussion around expanding the evaluation of artificial agents to include physical behavior as a meaningful signal of intelligence.
The workshop brings together researchers from human-robot interaction, robotics, neuroscience, psychology, and design to examine both theoretical and applied perspectives. We aim to explore questions such as: How do robots’ movement patterns influence perceptions of intelligence? What specific motion cues lead observers to attribute agency or intent? In what ways do humans interpret navigation and gesture as signs of social awareness? And how can we develop systematic methods for analyzing and evaluating these non-verbal behaviors?
Through cross-disciplinary exchange and collaborative discussion, this workshop seeks to open new perspectives on how movement shapes our understanding of machine intelligence, laying the groundwork for future research in socially responsive and expressive robotics.

Date and period: Friday afternoon

Website: https://sites.google.com/nishitech.ac.jp/frcworkshop2025

Organisers:

Kazuo Ishii, Yasunori Takemura, Hakaru Tamukoh

Abstract:

The integration of human and robotic collaboration in complex environments, such as agriculture,underwater exploration, and domestic settings, presents significant scientific challenges and opportunities.As technology advances, the need for seamless interaction between humans and robots has become a central focus for achieving efficient, safe, and robust operations in dynamic, unstructured fields. The scientific motivation behind this workshop stems from the following key areas: 1 Advanced Human-Robot Collaboration: Developing robots capable of understanding and predicting human intentions is critical for enhancing collaboration. This requires breakthroughs in perception, decision-making, and shared control systems that adapt to the dynamic nature of fieldenvironments. 2 Field-Specific Robotic Challenges: Robots deployed in real-world fields—whether in agriculture, disaster relief, or underwater exploration—must handle uncertain terrain, unpredictable obstacles, and variable environmental conditions. Research into robust locomotion, adaptive sensing, and task-specific intelligence drives this field forward. 3 Multi-Agent and Team Coordination: Coordinating multiple robots or mixed human-robot teams in collaborative tasks remains an unsolved challenge in many applications. Scientific innovation is needed in distributed decision-making, task allocation, and real-time communication. 4 Inspired Technologies for Real-World Impact: Inspired by innovations across fields like AI, machine learning, and autonomous systems, this workshop seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and practical applications. Technologies developed for robotics competitions such as RoboCup@Home, underwater robot trials, and agricultural robot tasks provide valuable testbeds for real-world deployment. 5 Education Through Competition: Robotics competitions have proven to be powerful tool for education. Through discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities, this workshop will not only address fundamental scientific challenges but also identify future directions for real-world applications of human-robot collaboration.