Human Robot Interaction
Lectures:Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30AM - 11:45AM Halligan Hall, Room 111B |
Semester:Fall 2019 |
Course Website: |
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Name |
Dr. Jennifer Cross |
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Contact through Canvas preferred. |
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Office location |
CEEO, 200 Boston Ave, Suite G810 (Please use the side “greenhouse” entrance) |
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Office hours |
Regular Hours: Halligan Hall, Room 206. To Be Determined.
By Appointment: 200 Boston Ave, Suite G810. Schedule available here doodle.com/jcross . Please provide multiple options. |
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Name |
Alvaro Mendez |
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Alvaro.Mendez@tufts.edu |
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Office Hours |
To Be Determined |
(Adapted from Prof. Matthias Scheutz’s COMP150 HRI Materials)
This course will provide an overview of the up and coming field of human-robot interaction (HRI) which is located squarely in the intersection of psychology, human factors engineering, computer science, and robotics. HRI has become a major research focus recently with the NSF's National Robotics Initiative and countries around the globe developing robots for various tasks, from new flexible and adaptive robots for industrial manufacturing, to socially assistive robots for eldercare. In this course, we will examine this field from an interdisciplinary perspective, reading and discussing key papers in HRI that intersect computer science, robotics, cognitive and social psychology. Students will work in interdisciplinary groups on a term project which will require them to design, conduct, and report on a complete HRI study.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
· explain and critically discuss fundamental interdisciplinary research topics, such as communication and human-computer interaction design, as it relates to human-robot interaction.
· describe and critically discuss a wide range of recent research studies in human-robot interaction.
· apply experimental design and research methods to successfully design, conduct, and document your own human-robot interaction experiments.
· work effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary project team, provide and respond to constructive team feedback, and resolve team conflicts using appropriate methods.
As Human-Robot Interaction is an emerging field, there is not yet a comprehensive textbook available. Instead our class will be reading fundamental publications in HRI and its related fields, as well as, research conference articles on recent developments. While there is no textbook, these readings and related discussions will make up a significant component the course activities.
All readings will be provided and will be announced at least one week prior to the due date.
Instructional materials will primarily be provided through the course website on Canvas. You will find a laptop computer helpful for completing in-class activities. Please try to bring a laptop to all classes if possible, especially later in the semester during the project.
If you do not own a personal laptop, a limited number will be available for borrowing. Please let the instructor know as soon as possible if you would like to use one of these.
The final project will consist of an interdisciplinary human robot interaction study. Each team will utilize at least one robot to complete this study. Some robots, of various form factors and complexity, will be made available to teams. Students working in research labs are welcome to conduct their project with another robotic platform if their lab supervisor permits. Alternatively, teams interested in design-focused studies may wish construct their own robotic platforms. Limited materials or materials budgets may be provided for such platforms.
The purpose of assessment is two-fold. One to help you and I identify areas where you are achieving course objectives and where additional practice and learning would be valuable. Two to assess and document, via your final grade, your mastery of the course objectives.
The final course grade will be calculated using the following categories:
|
Assessment |
Final Grade (100% total) |
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Reading |
10% |
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Participation |
5% |
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Collaboration |
10% |
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Midterm Exam |
25% |
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Term Project |
25% |
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Final Paper |
25% |
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Teamwork and collaboration are an essential part of human-robot interaction. All robotics careers require collaborations with colleagues, consultants, users, and other stakeholders. As such, collaboration is also an important part of your grade.
A collaboration agreement, called your Team Charter, will be made with your final project team where you will collectively agree on the expectations of your team. This will be graded for completeness. You will then have two opportunities to give and receive feedback from your teammates. Your grades on the peer feedback will be based on the completeness of your own feedback and the ratings from your peers. In addition to peer feedback, your collaboration grade will also be based on a final one-page reflection about your experiences on the project including your own contributions to the team and a discussion of how the collaboration experience did or did not meet your expectations.
Team projects can be more straining than typical coursework. If you have teamwork or collaboration concerns, please refer to your charter and let me know if you would like mediation.
Students will be assigned the following final letter grades, based on calculations coming from the course assessment section.
|
Grade |
Percentage Interval |
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A+ A A- |
Above 97% 97 – 93 % 93 – 90 % |
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B+ B B- |
90 - 87% 87 – 83 % 83 – 80 % |
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C+ C C- |
80 - 77% 77 – 73 % 73 – 70 % |
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D+ D D- |
70 - 67% 67 – 63 % 63 – 60 % |
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F |
Below 60% |
Due dates for every assignment will be provided through the course website. Unless otherwise stated, assignments are due on those days. Submitting your assignments on time allows for you to receive timely feedback before submitting the next assignment. However, I recognize that sometimes “life happens.” Please email me if you believe that your situation is exceptional and requires consideration outside of the following policies. Note that work from other courses will not be considered exceptional.
Most graded assignments will lose 20% of the total points for each day late that is it submitted (up to 24 hours late: 20% off, 24 to 48 hours late: 40%, etc.). These points cannot be regained through revision. Please submit your late assignments through Canvas and emailed directly to the instructors. In order to receive this credit, please email the instructors at least 24 hours before the deadline that you will be missing. This reflects the fact that in projects that it is not acceptable to your stakeholder or team to miss a deadline without prior warning. Missing a deadline without warning will result in additional 20% loss of points.
Reading assignments and online reading responses must be completed by 9 AM before class on the day due. This will allow me to review your responses before class. NO credit will be granted for reading assignments completed after class as it will be completed too late for class discussions. Your lowest reading response grade will be dropped.
The take-home midterm will be a 24-hour take-home exam. This midterm will be distributed at the same time to all students and, for fairness, must be submitted within 24 hours following the instructions on the exam. If you know at the beginning of the semester that you will be unable to complete your midterm during the given timeframe (e.g., for religion holiday), please discuss this with the instructors in the first weeks in order to schedule accommodations.
Project presentations must be given on-time and in-class on the date scheduled. The schedule will not permit later presentations and presenting outside of class time defeats the purpose of presenting a design review to peers. Any team unable to present at their assigned time will receive 0 points. It is in your best interest to present whatever you have available on-hand during the specified time.
If you know at the beginning of the semester that you will be absent on a presentation day (e.g., for religion holiday or field trip for another course), please discuss this with the instructors in the first weeks in order to schedule accommodations.
Every graded assessment is an opportunity to receive feedback on your work and improve your understanding of the course content. As such, you have the opportunity to revise and resubmit assignments and project reports in order to demonstrate your new understanding and receive up to 50% of the points deducted. However, be aware that the entire assignment will be regraded including parts that previously received full credit. There is potential that points could be lost during the regrading process.
Revisions must be received within 3 days of graded work being returned. Please note that points deducted for late-work cannot be regained in this way. Please email instructors in order to request regrades.
Your attendance of class is important for not only your own benefit but the benefit of your peers who can learn from your ideas during discussions and your feedback. If there are extenuating circumstances that require you to miss more than one class session in the semester, please discuss this issue with me in advance of your absence(s). While attendance is not recorded, it is still an important part of this class. Repeated, unexplained absences may result in a 0 for the participation portion of your grade. If you have numerous absences that impair your ability to contribute to your team project, you may also see this reflected in your collaboration grades.
Absences during Project Presentation days, even on days that you are not presenting, will result in deductions to your individual presentation score as you are expected to be present to provide feedback on the presentations of others.
Likewise, when we have guest lectures it is critical that you attend the lecture and arrive on-time. These lectures are opportunities to learn about the work of other professionals and network. Missing or arriving late to these guest lectures will reflect badly on our class and on your professionalism and may result in a reduction of participation points. As in professional careers, showing respect to our peers and guests through carefully learning about their work is a key part of creating future opportunities.
Collaboration, honesty and transparency are important features of good scholarship and interdisciplinary projects. This course includes projects that are dependent on collaboration. The differences between collaboration and cheating can at times seem like a slim on. The primary difference distinction that I recognize has to do with transparency. When collaborating, all team members contribute work to a common goal and all receive credit for that achievement. When you work with others but do not give them credit and recognition for their contributions, then you are implying either through omission or falsehood that their work is your own --- this is the heart of plagiarism. It is never acceptable to claim another person’s work as your own. Likewise, it is not collaboration when only some team member make contributions while another team member takes credit for work they have not contributed to.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious academic offenses with serious consequences. It is critical that you understand the requirements of ethical behavior and academic work as described in Tufts’ Academic Integrity handbook. If you ever have a question about the expectations concerning a particular assignment or project in this course, be sure to ask me for clarification. The Faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering are required to report suspected cases of academic integrity violations to the Dean of Student Affairs Office. If I suspect that you have cheated or plagiarized in this class, I am REQUIRED report the situation to the dean. For a clear description of what counts as plagiarism, cheating, and/or the use of unauthorized sources, please see the University’s Policy on Academic Integrity: https://students.tufts.edu/student-affairs/student-code-conduct/academic-integrity-policy
During this course, you are expected work together in your teams on projects. In the interest of transparency, recognizing the contributions of others, and in accordance with the University’s Academic Integrity policy, you must acknowledge any collaboration or assistance that you receive on work that is to be graded.
When you turn in an individual assignment, please include a sentence that says one or more of the following:
· “I worked alone on this assignment.”, or
· “I received assistance from _________ on this assignment.”
Please list all classmates, tutors, etc. that helped with the assignment.
When you turn in team projects, please include a sentence on the cover page that says one of the following:
· “Our team, ____________, worked independently on this assignment.”, or
· “Our team, ____________, received assistance from _________ on this assignment.”
Please list all classmates, tutors, etc. that helped with the team assignment.
Providing this information will only serve to help me understand you and your process better. It helps me understand the forms of collaboration taking place and it allows you to share the credit with the many people that help make your learning possible. I strongly endorse the use of campus resources like the Academic Resource Center and collaborative learning, when it increases your ability to succeed in this class and when it enhances your education and learning. Please make sure to acknowledge the people in those centers who have helped you.
If you are referring to or using other sources in your assignments, you are expected to cite the source that you are referencing. Your citations must make it clear which code, text, or ideas are a product of your own work, and which come from the work cited. Please contact course instructors if you have questions or would like assistance in determining how to properly cite external sources.
If you have questions about my Academic Integrity & Collaboration policy in this course, please do not hesitate to ask. If imbalances of contributions arise in team collaborations or if you have other collaboration concerns, please refer to your team charter and let me know if you would like mediation.
(Adapted from Prof. Elaine Short’s COMP150 SAR Materials)
If would like me to use a name or pronouns for you other than what is provided to me by the university, please feel free to let me know so that I can address you correctly. I ask that you extend me the same courtesy and call me “Dr. Cross,” “Jennifer,” or “Jenn” in class-related emails and in the classroom.
(Adapted from Prof. Elaine Short’s COMP150 SAR Materials)
All exclusively breastfeeding babies are welcome in class as often as is necessary. For older children and babies, I understand that unforeseen disruptions in child-care often put parents in the position of having to choose between missing class to stay at home with a child and leaving them with someone you or the child does not feel comfortable with. While this is not meant to be a long-term child-care solution, occasionally bringing a child to class in order to cover gaps in care is perfectly acceptable.
Tufts University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty; recognizing the important contribution each student makes to our unique community. The instructors of this course are committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in our class.
If you have a disability (or think that you may have a disability) that as a result requires reasonable accommodations, please contact the Student Accessibility Services office at accessibility@tufts.edu or 617-627-4539 to make an appointment with a SAS representative as soon as possible. You can learn more about the services SAS provides in the SAS Handbook at http://students.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/Tufts-Handbook-Fall-2018.pdf. Please be aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making timeliness a critical aspect for arranging support.
If you do not have a documented disability, remember that other support services are available for all students through ARC, such as peer tutors and time management consultations (as described below). You may also reach out to me via email about what I can do to better improve your learning for any reason.
I highly recommend that all students check out the services provided by the Academic Resource Center (ARC). In particular, I have heard extremely strong praise for the free Time Management and Study Strategies (TM&SS) consultations. ARC also has peer tutoring available. The earlier you learn how to take advantage of these resources, the more benefit they will give you during your college career. You can learn more about ARC at http://students.tufts.edu/academic-advice-and-support/academic-resource-center/what-we-offer or by emailing arctutoring@tufts.edu.
Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.
All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is almost always helpful.
If you or anyone you know experiences academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. The source of stress might be strictly related to your coursework; if so, please speak with the course instructors. However, problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance. Tufts provides free and confidential mental health services to support the academic success of students. The Counseling and Mental Health Services is here to help, visit their website at http://students.tufts.edu/health-and-wellness/counseling-and-mental-health to learn what services are available.
Getting help is a smart but sometimes intimidating thing to do. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.
If you have questions about this or your coursework, please let me know.
No student may record any classroom activity without express consent from me. If you have (or think you may have) a disability such that you need to record or tape classroom activities, please refer to the Accessibility section above and contact the Student Accessibility Services office at accessibility@tufts.edu. I am happy to work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate.
Learning research shows that unexpected noises and movement automatically divert and capture people's attention, which means you are affecting everyone’s learning experience if your cell phone, laptop, etc. makes noise or is visually distracting during class.
Laptops: During in-class activities and labs, you are welcome to use your laptop for programming, note taking, or reference but please have the sound turned off. In lecture, you may take notes on your laptop, but you must turn the sound off so that you do not disrupt other students' learning. If you are using your laptop for note taking, please sit in the back row so that other students are not distracted by your screen. Please do not use your laptop for browsing the internet, playing games or videos, or other activities that distract your attention from the course. You have my full attention during class, please give me yours.
Mobile Phones: Please mute and put away your phone during lectures, labs and activities so that you do not disrupt other students' learning. In both activities and lab, communicating with people outside of the class through text and chat will likely distract you and other students from class activities. If your side conversations frequently disrupt team collaboration, it may negatively influence your collaboration points. In an emergency when you must reply to a call or text, please excuse yourself and take your conversation outside of the classroom.
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Date |
Day |
Topic |
Assignment |
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9/4 |
W |
Introduction |
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9/9 |
M |
Overview of HRI |
Readings & Responses Due Each Class Period – please refer to Canvas |
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9/11 |
W |
Types of HRI Studies (Technical, Human, and Design) |
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9/16 |
M |
Design and HRI |
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9/18 |
W |
Experimental Methods 1 |
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9/23 |
M |
Experimental Methods 2 |
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9/25 |
W |
Planning Human Subjects Studies, Research Ethics and the IRB. |
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9/30 |
M |
Teleoperation and the Wizard of Oz |
Term Project Proposal |
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10/2 |
W |
Cognitive Science and HRI |
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10/7 |
M |
Communication, Social Interactions and HRI |
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10/9 |
W |
Human Factors and HRI |
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10/15 |
Tu |
(Tufts' Monday) Research Presentations |
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10/16 |
W |
Research Presentations |
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10/21 |
M |
Computational HRI |
Term Project Research Report |
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10/23 |
W |
Controls and HRI |
Take Home Midterm Due 10/22 at Noon |
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10/28 |
M |
Guest Speaker: Learning from Demonstration & HRI + ML |
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10/30 |
W |
HRI and Ethics |
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11/4 |
M |
Status Presentations |
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11/6 |
W |
Status Presentations |
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11/11 |
M |
No Class |
Term Project Status Report |
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11/13 |
W |
Guest Lecture: HRI in Society, Public and Private spaces |
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11/18 |
M |
Guest Lecture: Architectures for HRI |
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11/20 |
W |
Topic by Request |
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11/25 |
M |
Topic by Request |
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11/27 |
W |
No Class |
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12/2 |
M |
Final Presentations |
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12/4 |
W |
Final Presentations |
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12/9 |
M |
Wrap-up |
Final Paper Due |
These course policies and descriptions were informed by Matthias Scheutz’s Human Robot Interaction course (COMP150 Spring 2019), Illah Nourbakhsh’s Principles of Human Robot Interaction course, Elaine Short’s Socially Assistive Robotics course, and teaching workshops from Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center.