I take an ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA) perspective on human-robot interaction (HRI). Most of my work involves studies in the world, i.e. in real-world settings, capturing everyday interaction through video recordings. My current projects involve following delivery robots as they pass through cities, and studying the work of robot operators.
My research contributes
- an empirical understanding of how humans support robot autonomy in practice
- methods for designing robots that can coordinate with humans
- interactional and embodied theories of human sociality and machine intelligence
I have studied everyday interaction with Starship delivery robots, EasyMile and Navya autonomous shuttle buses, the DaVinci Surgical System and Anki’s Cozmo toy robot. I continue to develop interaction design methods that explore sound and motion as a communicative resources for robots. Conceptually, I am exploring how agency, autonomy and control are practically accomplished in situated interaction.
Hannah Pelikan 