Profile

In the past I moved schools a lot. In the past I have lived in Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland as a result! I am currently living in the North West of England though, near where I was born. My job involves a lot of looking at my computer, so in my spare time I like to be outside with friends – running, climbing, or kayaking! I also like watching YouTube, crime documentaries, and musicals. I really enjoy trying new things. The world is a playground! Here is a picture of me and my boyfriend doing belly flops. His was better than mine! haha

My Research

Growing up I saw a lot of films where robots were peoples friends. The robots could talk to them, make them laugh, and help them. Now I see that such “social robots” are actually being made! My job is to find out how people feel about robots, how people act around robots, and to find out if a robot could actually be someones friend. I research this by bringing people into the lab, and watching as they spend time with a robot. I programme the robot to tell jokes, pretend to vacuum, and speak to the person. The robot helps them to make a shopping list. Afterwards, I ask people what they thought about their time with the robot, and how they felt. Here are some pictures of the robots that I work with (Cozmo, MiRo, and NAO):

I also ask people to hit the robot with a hammer. (Do not worry, I stop them just before they hit them!). Then, we speak about how they felt. Some people do not mind hitting the robot, but others feel very sad and do not want to. I find this very interesting.

Working with Others

I am helping a company who makes therapy robots, and a company which teaches school children about robot. We are working together to make the robots even better. I spoke to a children’s hospital the other day, and apparently they are using the robot to bring fun to the kids. That was cool to hear that the robot is making people smile!

Travelling

As well as designing experiments and meeting people, I also travel and learn from other scientists. There are people all over the world who do robot-research, and it’s important to listen to other people. Everyone does research in a different way, so I love sharing my own work, and hearing how other people do it. Sometimes we get into scientific arguments, but that is part of the fun… and what makes science get better! I have previously presented work in France, Denmark, and Greece.

My days are very different! But here are some things that I do:

• I say hello to the other people in my lab, and ask if anyone needs help.
• Think of ideas for new experiments
• Decide how the robot should move and talk
• Show people the robots and ask what they think!
• Fix computers and robots
• Travel to meet other robot researchers, and talk about how to make science better!

I work in a laboratory called the Social Brain in Action Laboratory. It’s not like a chemistry lab with benches and stools – it is a collection of offices full of people doing research. In my laboratory there are people doing lots of different things. For example, one of my friends in the lab does research about whether we will share our feelings and secrets with a robot. Another researches what happens when we watch professional dancers! We all do different work, but we all work very hard… and help each other. This is what our building looks like from the outside. (A bit like Hogwarts, I think!)