On Socially Assistant Robotics

Upcoming and of interest, a favorite topic we looked at for years.  More detail at the link:

Title: Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR)  (Registration) 
Date: Monday, June 04, 2018
Time: 02:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Duration: 1 hour

Summary:

Robotics is booming all around us. A field that was originally driven by the desire to automate physical work is now raising concerns about the future of work. Less discussed but no more important are the implications on human health, as the science on longevity and resilience indicates that having the drive to work is key for health and wellness. However, robots, machines that were originally invented to automate work, are also becoming helpful by not doing any physical work at all, but instead by motivating and coaching us to do our own work, based on evidence from neuroscience and behavioral science demonstrating that human behavior is most strongly influenced by physically embodied social agents, including robots. ...

SPEAKER
Dr. Maja Matarić
Chaired Professor and Vice Dean for Research, University of Southern California; Chief Science Officer, Embodied, Inc. .... "