Robots are increasingly present in daily life, from medical settings to helping at home. However, for people to fully trust and work with them, robots must do more than perform tasks—they must understand humans.
This challenge is central to new research led by Dr. Mehdi Hellou through PRIMI, a project focused on helping robots develop a “theory of mind”—the ability to infer people’s beliefs, preferences, and intentions. The goal is to develop autonomous systems that anticipate when help is needed, adapt their behavior over time, and interact more socially intelligently.
To make this possible, the team draws on psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, designing robots that integrate motor intelligence (how they move) with cognitive intelligence (how they think and reason).
Adaptive Robots for Everyday and High-Risk Use
As Dr. Hellou explains, developing autonomous systems that support people in everyday life—and in high-risk contexts like health care or nuclear waste management—requires machines that can adapt to different users and environments.
The team’s most recent study appears in the journal ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction.
The project will test its approach in clinical pilot trials for stroke rehabilitation, where humanoid robots will support patients during recovery.
If the results are positive, PRIMI could pave the way for a new wave of socially intelligent robots that learn in real time and feel more approachable and dependable.
Read the original article on: Tech Xplore
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