Robots in Groups and Teams

Abstract

Over the last decade, the idea that robots could become an integral part of groups and teams has developed from a promising vision into a reality. Robots are increasingly designed to interact with groups and teams of people, yet most human-robot interaction research still focuses on a single humans interacting with a single robot. The goal for the workshop is therefore to advance research in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and human robot interaction (HRI) by raising awareness for the social and technical challenges that surround the placement of robots within work-groups and teams. The workshop will be organized around three central questions: (1) How do robots shape the dynamics of groups and teams in existing settings? (2) How does a robot's behavior shape how humans interact with each other in dyads and in larger groups and teams? (3) How can robots improve the performance of work groups and teams by acting on social processes? These core issues will be covered across a set of presentations that initiate in- depth discussions around each question to improve the quality of and support the growth of research in the CSCW community that focuses on the intersection of robots, groups, and teams.