Social skills for automated systems and robots

Social skills for automated systems and robots (FORSocialRobots)

The FORSocialRobots research network, consisting of scientific and industrial partners, is developing new scientific and technical foundations so that social robotics and new robot applications can be realized in six fields of application relevant to society in a short space of time.

The Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology is responsible for sub-project 5 – “Human-robot interaction in the work context”. This aims to assess the consequences of the use of social robots in the work context for employees in five exemplary fields of application (therapy/care, industrial robots, mobile robots and service robots). The aim is to improve employee-robot interaction by gaining a deeper understanding of how employees react and adapt to interactions with robots that have different social skills. This enables companies to assess the advantages and disadvantages of interaction with differently equipped robots for employees and to train and support employees accordingly.

Scientific project partners

  • Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems & Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology)
  • University of Augsburg (Chair of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence & Chair of Engineering Informatics with a focus on Production Informatics)
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

Project team

  • Dr. Jörg Franke (Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems)
  • Nina Merz (Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems)
  • Sebastian Reitelshöfer (Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems)
  • Prof. Dr. Cornelia Niessen (Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology)
  • Lukas Retzer (Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology)
  • Julia Berger (Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology)
  • PD Dr. Thomas Wittenberg (Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits)
  • Dr. Elisabeth André (Chair of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) at the University of Augsburg)
  • Matthias Kraus (Chair of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) at the University of Augsburg)
  • Dr. Johannes Schilp (Chair of Engineering Informatics with a focus on Production Informatics (PI) at the University of Augsburg)

Industry partners

  • CAB Caritas – Ulrichswerkstätten
  • BioID
  • Blank Hotel („Das Hürner“)
  • Framatome
  • Sozialstiftung Bamberg Altenhilfe
  • IFOHRA
  • Astrum IT
  • Korian Deutschland
  • Krones
  • KUKA Medical
  • Mey Maschinenbau
  • MicroStep Europa
  • Roboception
  • Senioren Wohnstift Mozart
  • audEERING

Further information