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About

Brennan Sellner is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction and multi-robot systems, with a focus on enabling seamless collaboration between humans and autonomous teams. His most influential work, "Designing robots for long-term social interaction" (402 citations), introduced Valerie the roboceptionist—a permanent social robot installation at Carnegie Mellon that combined practical assistance with compelling social engagement, pioneering the field of long-term human-robot relationships. Sellner’s core contribution lies in developing the concept of *sliding autonomy*, a framework that allows robots to dynamically shift between autonomous operation and human teleoperation. His landmark paper "Coordinated Multiagent Teams and Sliding Autonomy for Large-Scale Assembly" (142 citations) established a software architecture for human-robot teams performing tightly coordinated tasks, particularly for orbital and planetary construction. This work directly addresses the challenge of situational awareness, enabling human operators to quickly understand and respond to robot requests without slowing team progress. Sellner’s research has profound implications for space exploration, where his assembly techniques—demonstrated in neutral buoyancy environments—enable low-tolerance construction despite sensor noise. His user modeling approach (17 citations) provides principled methods for adjusting autonomy levels based on operator needs, making his work foundational for future autonomous construction in hazardous environments.