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			  ** 1st Call For Papers **
			(Apologies for cross-posting)
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Beyond Gray Droids: Domestic Robot Design for the 21st Century
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BCS HCI 2009 Workshop
September 1, 2009
Cambridge, UK
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Web: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/conference/drd09/
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Workshop Scope and Aims:
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Each year, robots are entering domestic environments in increasing  
number. By 2012, it's estimated that 7.8 million robots will be in  
domestic settings. These robots are intended to help with household  
chores, act as home health aids, and serve as companions and  
entertainers for people. However, because the field of domestic  
robotics is birthed from industrial robotics, many of these robots in  
the home still look and behave like they belong in a factory. Their  
interactive styles are often not well-suited toward the wide variety  
of home users that exist.

Domestic robots present unique design challenges that are very  
different from those of industrial robots. The first challenge is a  
lack of predictability - neither users' behavior nor the physical  
environment can be known before a robot is placed in a home. Thus, for  
mobile robots, safety can be a major concern, particularly for elderly  
or disabled users. For example, a robot vacuum cleaner that does not  
audibly announce its presence could cause an elderly user with vision  
loss to trip and fall.

Another challenge is with regard to presenting appropriate, dynamic  
interaction modalities that are inclusive of all users. For example,  
physically disabled children may not enjoy a robotic pet that moves  
too quickly, whereas able-bodied children may be bored by one that  
does not. The design of interaction modalities should also consider a  
robot's ability to perceive and interpret a user's behavior (e.g.,  
affective and affect-related expressions, intentions, etc.).

A third design challenge is with regard to robot appearance. Vast  
cultural differences exist in how people think robots ought to look  
and behave, and certain types of appearance may be outside the realm  
of their comfort. For example, humanoid robots with large heads and no  
noses may be perfectly acceptable in Japan but may be off-putting to  
Westerners. Also, individual personality differences can greatly  
affect how people perceive robot appearance.

In order to start address these design challenges, it may be helpful  
to engage in several steps:
  * Appropriately identifying likely domestic user groups
  * Understanding design constraints of these groups
  * Brainstorming dynamic interaction modalities for domestic robots
  * Articulating ways to incorporate cultural and personality
    differences into robot appearance and behavior
  * Creating new ways to evaluate HRI in domestic contexts

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Workshop Topics:
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This workshop aims to provide a forum for researchers interested in  
improving the design of domestic robots. By gathering in a friendly  
environment, the hope is that researchers can openly share their ideas  
and vision for the future of this field.

Thus, we invite researchers who wish to participate in the workshop to  
submit position papers, works-in-progress, or completed research.  
Topics include:

* Assistive Technology
* Affective Computing
* Affective Robotics
* Domestic Design
* Human-Centered Design
* Human-Machine Interaction
* Inclusive Design
* Multi-cultural Design
* Robot Design
* Social Robotics

...as well as other relevant topics.

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Submission Format and Procedure:
-------------------------------
Papers may be up to 4 pages in length. Please format your paper using  
the ACM 2-column format.

Please see the workshop website for detailed submission instructions:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/conference/drd09/

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Important Dates:
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Paper submission deadline:   27 Apr 2009
Notification to authors:     12 May 2009
Camera-ready version:        10 Aug 2009

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Outcomes:
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All accepted papers will be included in Volume 3 of the HCI 2009  
proceedings. Workshop participants will also help contribute to a  
poster that will be presented at the main conference.

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Organizers:
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Laurel D. Riek (University of Cambridge, UK)
Ginevra Castellano (Queen Mary University of London, UK)
Lars Erik Holmquist (Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sweden)

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Program Committee:
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Shazia Afzal (University of Cambridge, UK)
Nadia Berthouze (UCL Interaction Centre, UK)
Kerstin Dautenhahn (University of Hertfordshire, UK)
Ylva Fernaeus (Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sweden)
Maria Hakansson (Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sweden)
Marcel Heerink (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Mattias Jacobsson (Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sweden)
Peter W. McOwan (Queen Mary University of London, UK)
Bernt Meerbeek (Philips Research, Netherlands)
Christopher Peters (Coventry University, UK)
Kristin Stubbs (University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA)
Mick Walters (Univ. of Hertfordshire, UK)
Astrid Weiss (University of Salzburg, Austria)

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Questions:
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If you have any questions, please contact [log in to unmask]

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