We investigate the integration of embodied agents within the automotive environment to enhance driver guidance. We explore the concept through two user studies. Through a gesture elicitation study using motion capture technology, we first identified a set of whole-body gestures suitable for in-car driver assistance. We then recreated the selected gestures by acting them out and recording them as animations. The selected gestures were then evaluated and mapped to different driving-related scenarios in the second study conducted in a simulated in-car condition. The most promising gestures for an embodied in-car driving assistant were pointing towards a certain direction, showing warning signs by crossing the arms either on the chest or arms on top of the head, and performing waving gestures to alert or to grasp the driver’s attention. By charting the potential signaling gestures, we aim to advance the development of more intuitive in-car guidance systems, ultimately promoting road safety.

This demo presents a virtual reality (VR) experience on recycling plastics.Through the interactive, immersive virtual experience, the user can become familiar with the recycling center site and sort a selection of plastic products.The playful experience was designed to refine and evaluate the design of a planned physical recycling station.The interactive prototype served two purposes: first, to encourage recycling behavior and increase familiarity with plastic recycling practices; and second, to gather feedback on the design of the recycling site to optimize user experience and recycling efficiency.

Figure 1: The Aware Eye provotype located on the user's back turns its gaze towards approaching people.

Robots' abilities to communicate with humans are often limited, missing expressive power and non-verbal communication cues.We present a concept design and a wizard-of-Oz prototype of a wearable emoji display, which aims to provide additional communication cues to communicate the robot's intent and provide means for a more affective communication towards a human.We explore the concept of an emoji necklace with a robot dog, which has more limitations in expressing its intent compared to a humanoid robot design.The concept was evaluated in a user study with ten participants.The salient findings indicate that the robot dog's intentions were perceived as easier to interpret with the wearable emoji display, especially when displaying clear emojis matching the robot's movements.

The increasing integration of human-robot interaction (HRI) into social settings demands the development of human-centered AI technologies that prioritize intuitive, ethical, and empathetic interactions. As robots become more prevalent in everyday life—ranging from assistive devices in healthcare to educational tools in classrooms and customer service agents in retail—it is essential to ensure they can communicate and collaborate with humans in ways that are not only effective but also socially appropriate and meaningful. This workshop aims to explore cutting-edge advancements and interdisciplinary approaches to building AI-driven systems that facilitate effective, meaningful, and socially appropriate interactions between robots and humans across various environments such as healthcare, education, and customer service. We will primarily focus on several key themes, such as human-centered contextual AI, AI-driven intelligent robotics, ethical and responsible AI, and real-world applications. This workshop invites contributions from researchers, practitioners, and developers who are working on AI systems that empower robots to operate effectively in human-centered environments. By addressing challenges such as interpreting human emotions, understanding social cues, and adhering to ethical standards, and by sharing advancements in human-centered AI, we aim to shape the future of HRI. Our goal is to ensure that robots enrich human social experiences, fostering interactions that are not only efficient but also enhance the quality of life. By uniting efforts from various disciplines, we aspire to create robots that seamlessly integrate into society, ultimately contributing to a more harmonious coexistence between humans and robotic systems.