Human-Robot Conversational Interaction (HRCI)

Conversation is one of the primary methods of interaction between humans and robots. It provides a natural way of communication with the robot, thereby reducing the obstacles that can be faced through other interfaces (e.g., text or touch) that may cause difficulties to certain populations, such as the elderly or those with disabilities, promoting inclusivity in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Work in HRI has contributed significantly to the design, understanding and evaluation of human-robot conversational interactions. Concurrently, the Conversational User Interfaces (CUI) community has developed with similar aims, though with a wider focus on conversational interactions across a range of devices and platforms. This workshop aims to bring together the CUI and HRI communities through a one-day workshop to outline key shared opportunities and challenges in developing conversational interactions with robots, resulting in collaborative publications targeted at the CUI 2023 provocations track.