As social robots and AI systems become more integrated into educational, professional, and daily environments, understanding those nuances will only grow more critical.
In the School of Information Sciences, robotics research is not just about machines—it is about people.
Three School of Information Sciences students have been working with Assistant Professor Jiangen He, examining how social robots can be designed to communicate, reflect, and respond in ways that meaningfully support human learning and interaction. Their work has been presented at leading human-robot interaction conferences, including the ACM/IEEE Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Conference.
He started working on human and artificial intelligence interactions thanks to a student-faculty research award provided by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Graduate School. With access to the new SIS iLab and its technology, they were able to conduct their research using real human-robot interactions.
“Learning through human-robot interaction is very important, not just technologically but also socially because, compared to AI we use on our computer, the robots present a much stronger social presence and their interaction can be more engaging than how we interact on a computer or virtual environment,” He explained.
Exploring Perception Through Design
Rather than focusing solely on performance or efficiency, this research asks a deeper question: How do subtle design choices shape the way people perceive robots?
One stream of the research examined how people interpret visual and social cues in robot design. Using virtual robot prototypes, the team manipulated variables such as color and human likeness to better understand how participants perceived racialized features and identity signals in robots.
The study included robots rendered in both neutral tones and skin-toned colors, alongside varying degrees of human likeness. By isolating these design variables, the researchers were able to explore how even aesthetic elements influence interaction and perception. The work reinforces an important principle in human-robot interaction: design is never neutral. Visual cues, language, and behavior all shape the social meaning people assign to technology.
From Designer to Researcher
For SIS master’s student Wanqi Zhang, the project began with graphic design.
With an undergraduate background in art and design, she initially joined the lab to create visual assets for a robotics project. But what started as design support quickly became something more.
“At the very beginning, I just created some pictures,” Zhang said. “Then my advisor asked if I wanted to join the project. I said yes.”
As she collaborated more closely with He, her interest deepened. She became fascinated not just by robotics, but by the intersection of technology and psychology.
“If you just hear ‘robot,’ you usually think about machines performing tasks, not influencing how people feel,” she said. “I never thought about how technology could combine with psychology. I think that is amazing.”
Zhang went on to co-author a long paper and a shorter paper, both focused on robot-led interviews. In the short paper project, she led the research from the beginning to end, recruiting participants, conducting interviews, collecting and analyzing data, and writing the paper.
One of the team’s most compelling studies explored whether robots could reduce anxiety in interview settings. Zhang, an international student, said she could personally relate to interviews being stressful, especially when those interviews are not conducted in her first language.
As an international student, Zhang understands the added pressure that speaking in a second language can bring to a situation.
“When you speak English and it’s not your first language, you can feel very nervous talking to someone in person, especially during a job interview,” she said. “I thought maybe a robot could serve as a bridge, a way to practice before a real interview and reduce that pressure.”
The project investigated how participants responded to a robot interviewer compared to a human one. The findings revealed that, while robots can reduce certain social pressures, the way they communicate matters significantly.
Initially, the robot was programmed to offer consistent encouragement, but the results surprised the team.
“We thought if the robot cheers people up, it will reduce anxiety,” Zhang said. “But if the robot keeps saying, ‘You did good,’ some students start to doubt it.”
Participants reported that excessive praise felt inauthentic. In response, the researchers refined the robot’s language to include more balanced and constructive feedback. The takeaway was that social robots must communicate with nuance. Even well-intentioned positivity can undermine trust if it feels artificial.
A Full-Cycle Research Experience
Marielle Santos (’25), who earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences in spring 2025, joined the project through a summer research assistantship. The experience allowed her to contribute across the full lifecycle of the research.
“I was involved throughout the full lifecycle of the project, from early literature review and idea development to experimental design, programming and iterating on the robot’s behaviors,” Santos said.
The hands-on involvement provided a rare opportunity to see research evolve from concept to conference acceptance, including contributing to a paper accepted to HRI 2026.
“Seeing the project progress from an initial idea to a completed study accepted into HRI 2026 was a standout accomplishment,” Santos said. “Being trusted to contribute at every stage was both challenging and affirming, especially as a recent graduate working remotely.”
The experience also highlighted how small design changes can dramatically shape human perception.
“What surprised me most was how small changes in a robot’s behavior, such as timing, phrasing, or level of guidance, could significantly affect how participants perceived and interacted with it,” she said. “It reinforced how sensitive human-robot interaction is.”
The Power of Interdisciplinary Research
Across the projects, a consistent theme emerged: meaningful robotics research requires interdisciplinary thinking.
The team’s work integrates design, psychology, computer science, qualitative analysis, and communication theory. Students were not siloed into technical or theoretical roles but instead learned to bridge both.
“This project taught me how powerful interdisciplinary research can be,” Santos explained. “I admired how Professor He balanced strong theoretical grounding with hands-on technical implementation, and that balance shaped the kind of researcher I hope to become.”
For Zhang, the interdisciplinary environment also helped rebuild her academic confidence after a decade away from school while raising her children.
“I had not been in school for 10 years,” she said. “I didn’t believe I could do this.”
Encouragement from her advisor proved pivotal.
“He trusted me before I trusted myself,” she said. “Now I think, yes, I can do that.”
Zhang has since applied to pursue a PhD at UT, inspired by the experience of leading her first independent research project.
Designing Technology That Listens
Together, these projects demonstrate that robotics research in the School of Information Sciences is not centered on building machines for efficiency alone; it is about designing ethically responsible technologies that navigate complex social contexts to thoughtfully support human needs.
“Specifically, our goal in robotics design is to develop systems that enhance social and emotional skills, foster meaningful connections between people, and operate with deep cultural sensitivity,” He said.
The research underscores a fundamental truth: when technology interacts socially, every design choice carries meaning.
And for the students involved, the work has done more than produce scientific publications, it has shaped careers, built confidence, and opened pathways to future research at the intersection of humans and intelligent systems.
You can view each paper below: