Lionel P. Robert Jr.

Computing for community-based economies: A sociotechnical ecosystem for democratic, egalitarian, and sustainable futures Automation and industrial mass production, particularly in sectors with low wages, have harmful consequences that contribute to widening wealth disparities, excessive pollution, and worsened workin...

Congratulations to Kwame Porter Robinson on this insightful paper that critically examines the impacts of automation and mass production while proposing a visionary alternative through community-based economies.
#robotics

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

My first in-person RO-MAN!

#ieeeroman #hri

Sound familiar? Matching voices boost trust in self-driving cars As self-driving cars move closer to everyday reality, one big question remains: Will people actually trust them?

Incredible to be quoted in the article "Sound familiar? Matching voices boost trust in self-driving cars" about our upcoming paper, led by CarolQiaoning along with Jessie Yang

#robotics

news.umich.edu/sound-famili...

It's been a great time #ieeeroman2025!

Great talk! @ieeeras.bsky.social #roman2025 #robotics

@ieeeras.bsky.social #ieeeroman2025
#roman2025

The Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, featuring running, kickboxing and soccer, highlighted advancements — and limitations — in robotics. nyti.ms/3Jo8WOZ

#robotics

This missing trait could make robots more 'human' : Short Wave Neurotic, anxious robots like C-3P0 from Star Wars' C-3P0 and Marvin from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are a staple of science fiction — but they're not as common in the real world. Most of th...

I'm excited to be part of this Short Wave podcast on neurotic robots. "This missing trait could make robots more 'human' with Nell Greenfieldboyce.

@npr.org @blackinrobotics.bsky.social @ieeeras.bsky.social

www.npr.org/transcripts/...

The Robot Mall has opened its doors to customers in Beijing, in what is thought to be one of the world’s first dedicated stores selling humanoid as well as consumer-oriented robots.

#Robots have to take in heaps of #data and act on it quickly. Scientists have found a way to enable robots to make better, faster choices in dangerous situations: making them feel fear.
spectrum.ieee.org/robot-risk-a...

Jury Says Tesla Was Partly to Blame for Fatal Crash

Jury Says Tesla Was Partly to Blame for Fatal Crash www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/b...

Thanks … add me also

Waymo to launch autonomous ride-hailing in Dallas next year Alphabet's Waymo said on Monday it will roll out its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas in 2026, accelerating its U.S. expansion as electric vehicle maker Tesla pushes to grow its recently launched robotaxi business.

Waymo to launch autonomous ride-hailing in Dallas next year reut.rs/4f9Skqh

Robert: People love confident robots, but relate more to anxious ones | umsi UMSI professor Lionel Robert discusses how different robot personalities impact human connection.

www.si.umich.edu/about-umsi/n...

#robotics

People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones Neurotic personalities are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities have recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relata...

I'm excited to be part of this NPR story on neurotic robots. "Neurotic robots can be more relatable than extroverted bots, study finds" by Nell Greenfieldboyce
#robotics #robots #ai

www.npr.org/2025/07/25/n...

Tesla on trial: What caused fatal crash — driver or autopilot? A jury in Florida can reshape the future of self-driving cars as it considers how much Elon Musk’s company is to blame for 22-year-old’s death in crash

A jury in Florida can reshape the future of self-driving cars as it considers how much Elon Musk’s company is to blame for 22-year-old’s death in crash

How AI Will Change Your Relationship With Your Pet AI facial recognition studies are being conducted on dogs to train technology to recognize pain, emotional distress, or sickness.

Recently quoted in a great news article, "How AI Will Change Your Relationship With Your Pet" by Alicia Kort in Kinship.
#robotics #AI #pets

www.kinship.com/dog-lifestyl...

#Robotics

As Robotaxi Rides Begin, We Still Don't Know the Mystery of Tesla’s Human Helpers Neither the US federal government nor the City of Austin will say how teleoperations, self-driving’s critical safety feature, will be used in the service launching in Austin in just a matter of days.

Neither the US federal government nor the City of Austin will say how teleoperations, self-driving’s critical safety feature, will be used in the service launching in Austin in just a matter of days. www.wired.com/story/as-rob...

#robotics

Call for Papers:

We invite researchers to submit their work to the Human-Robot Interaction and Collaboration minitrack at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) 2026!
#robotics

Deadline: June 15, 2025
Maui, Hawaii
submission details: lnkd.in/dAtSpDb

Artificial intelligence voice gender, gender role congruity, and trust in automated vehicles - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Artificial intelligence voice gender, gender role congruity, and trust in automated vehicles

Are you curious how an automated vehicle's (AV) voice can impact your trust? This research reveals that gender similarity enhances trust when the voice aligns with expected gender roles. Explore how ingrained societal biases influence our perceptions.
#robotics #AV

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Artificial intelligence voice gender, gender role congruity, and trust in automated vehicles - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Artificial intelligence voice gender, gender role congruity, and trust in automated vehicles

Are you curious how an automated vehicle's (AV) voice can impact your trust? This research reveals that gender similarity enhances trust when the voice aligns with expected gender roles. Explore how ingrained societal biases influence our perceptions.
#robotics #AV

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I know of at least one other person who had a similar dream recently …

Amazon Has Made a Robot With a Sense of Touch Vulcan, a robot with tactile senses, is a step towards automating more of picking and stowing work done by humans inside Amazon’s fulfillment centers.

Vulcan, a robot with tactile senses, is a step towards automating more of picking and stowing work done by humans inside Amazon’s fulfillment centers. www.wired.com/story/ai-lab...

A new paper on human-robot intimacy, Sexual and Emotional Intimacy with Robots:...Review, merges theory and practice to redefine emotional and sexual closeness.

#Robotics

dx.doi.org/10.7302/25453

Congrats!!!

Study finds robots struggle to repair broken human trust | umsi New research by UMSI PhD candidate Connor Esterwood finds that when robots mess up, saying ‘sorry’ to humans helps, but only a little.

www.si.umich.edu/about-umsi/n...

#robotics