UTS RI Talk by Dr Giacinto Barresi

Neuroergonomics in Human-Robot Interaction

Speaker: Dr Giacinto Barresi, Rehab Technologies Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy

BIO:  Giacinto Barresi (PhD in Robotics, Cognition and Interaction Technologies, University of Genoa; BSc-MSc in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Padua) is a researcher in neuroergonomics for human-centered design of robotic and digital systems at Rehab Technologies Lab. research line of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and joint laboratory of IIT and the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL). He is the coordinator of ENACT, a project supported by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (FISM) in synergy with RAISE, the innovation ecosystem in Liguria region, supported by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). He also leads the educational initiative GameAbility.

Abstract:  Enabling technologies like robotic systems surely offer impactful solutions in heterogeneous domains, from healthcare to industry. However, they can also increase the complexity of a scenario, especially when human beings are involved. Indeed, even if smart mechatronic devices can aid people in real-world settings, the design of human-robot interactions can show several limitations, possibly leading to risks for the user safety and for the process outcome. Ergonomics can certainly be helpful in facing such a challenge because it investigates the interactions between humans and other elements of a system, and it works for improving the well-being of the first and the overall performance of the second. Handling this complexity requires interdisciplinary efforts across all branches of (physical, cognitive, organisational) ergonomics. Interestingly, the most recent advances in neurotechnologies and wearable devices (including low-cost ones), are offering novel ways to understand (and enhance) human-systems interactions through the framework of neuroergonomics, approaching human factors by means of neuroscientific methodologies in ecologically valid contexts.

This seminar presents the actual (and potential) roles of neuroergonomics in the design and evaluation of human-robot interactions. Examples from biomedical and industrial fields will be presented, also pondering future synergies between neuroadaptive systems and cobotics (first of all, to mitigate the user's mental workload).

 

Back to Events at the Robotics Institute
Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.