Month: September 2025

Posted on

Initial Thoughts on Wearable Social Robots

Wearable social robots are very small yet extremely powerful systems that can be worn around the neck, on the body, or in a shoulder bag or handbag. They are not only companions to humans, but become part of them by expanding their senses and means of expression. The article entitled “This robot suits you well!” (subtitle: “On the phenomenon of wearable social robots”) by Oliver Bendel defines the term “wearable social robots”, presents areas of application, and discusses social and ethical challenges. Recommendations for developers and users are also provided. It becomes clear that wearable social robots represent novel tools and extensions or enhancements of humans, whose capabilities go beyond those of apps on smartphones. The article was published on September 25, 2025, in Wiley Industry News, not only in German but also in English. It can be accessed at www.wileyindustrynews.com/de/fachbeitraege/dieser-roboter-steht-ihnen-aber-gut or www.wileyindustrynews.com/en/contributions/that-robot-suits-you-well.

Posted on

ICSR + Art 2026 in London

The 18th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR + Art 2026) will take place in London, UK, from July 1–4, 2026. ICSR is the leading international forum that brings together researchers, academics, and industry professionals from across disciplines to advance the field of social robotics. For its 18th edition, the conference will feature the special theme ICSR + Art, exploring how robots can transcend their traditional roles to become tools and collaborators in creative practices. At the same time, the conference remains fully open to the entire spectrum of social robotics research, including human–robot interaction, medical and assistive robotics, AI and machine learning, ethics, design, education, cultural applications, and beyond. Accepted papers will be published in Springer’s Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI) series and indexed in major databases. In addition to regular and short papers, the program will include workshops and special sessions designed to foster exchange across disciplines and communities. Paper submissions are due by February 15, 2026, with notifications on April 15, 2026, and camera-ready papers due May 15, 2026. Proposals for workshops and special sessions are welcome until December 1, 2025. Further information is available at icsr2026.uk.
Posted on

Oliver Bendel on Wearable Social Robots

At the last session of the ICSR on September 12, 2025, Oliver Bendel presented his full paper titled “Wearable Social Robots for the Disabled and Impaired”. He began by defining the term wearable social robots, which he sees as a special form and combination of wearable robots and social robots. One example is AIBI, a small robot that he briefly wore around his neck during the talk. Wearable social robots can include functions for games and entertainment, information and learning, navigation and description, and combating loneliness and anxiety. Potential user groups include pupils and students, prison inmates, astronauts, and disabled and impaired persons. Franziska and Julia demonstrated in videos how they use AIBI as a companion and for social support. With this paper, Oliver Bendel continued his work in the field of inclusive AI and inclusive Robotics. The ICSR is one of the leading conferences for social robotics worldwide, and its 17th edition took place from September 10 to 12, 2025, in Naples, Italy. Mariacarla Staffa (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy), John-John Cabibihan (Qatar University, Qatar), and Bruno Siciliano (University of Naples Federico II) served as the main organizers. Over the course of the three days, 300 participants attended, contributing once again to the advancement of social robotics.

Posted on

Small Talk with a Robot

At the last day of the ICSR on September 12, 2025, Katharina Kühne presented her full paper titled “Small Talk with a Robot Reduces Stress and Improves Mood” (written together with Antonia L. Z. Klöffel, Oliver Bendel, and Martin H. Fischer). Previous research has shown that social support reduces stress and improves mood. This study tested whether small talk with a social robot could be helpful. After performing a stressful task, 98 participants either chatted with a NAO robot, listened to the robot tell a neutral story, or did not interact with the robot. Both robot interactions reduced stress – particularly small talk, which also boosted positive mood. The effects were stronger in participants with high acute stress. Positive affect played a key role in stress reduction, suggesting that robot-mediated small talk may be a useful tool for providing emotional support. Dr. Katharina Kühne and Prof. Dr. Martin H. Fischer are researchers at the University of Potsdam. Antonia L. Z. Klöffel assists Katharina Kühne as a junior scientist. Martin Fischer is the head of the Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group (PECoG). Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel is an associated researcher with PECoG.

Posted on

Anouk Wipprecht at ICSR

On September 12, 2025, Dutch FashionTech designer Anouk Wipprecht gave a keynote speech entitled “The Intersection of Fashion, Robotics and Technology” at ICSR 2025 in Naples. In her presentation, she demonstrated how fashion can become an interactive experience that goes far beyond pure aesthetics by incorporating state-of-the-art technologies and scientific insights. With her designs, Wipprecht explores how clothing can transform not only our perception but also our relationship with the environment. A striking example of this is her Spider Dress, which uses integrated sensors and movable limbs to create a kind of technologically enhanced personal space. She collaborates with renowned partners such as Intel, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Audi, and Swarovski, employing techniques like machine learning, biomimetic design, and microcontroller-driven animatronics. Her creations breathe, move, and respond to external stimuli – always with the aim of exploring new interfaces between humans and technology, and encouraging her generation to reflect on the future of the human body in digital space.

Posted on

The Mirokaï

The third and final day of ICSR 2025, September 12, 2025, began with a keynote speech by Jérôme Monceaux entitled “Emotivation by Design: The Mirokaï”. Present was one of the Mirokaï, spectacular robots that roll on a sphere, the female Miroka. Jérôme Monceaux’s keynote traced the evolution of robotics toward more intuitive, inspiring, and joyful interactions. From the iconic Nao and Pepper robots at Aldebaran to the latest generation of social robots, The Mirokaï by Enchanted Tools, his innovative approach reshaped design, mobility, and user experience. He shared his vision for humanoid robots built to support people in everyday life and work. By combining bold engineering with endearing character design, embodied AI, and meaningful storytelling, Jérôme Monceaux and his team created a cohesive hardware and software ecosystem that integrated naturally into social environments – especially in care settings like senior living and pediatric hospitals. The approximately 300 participants watched enthusiastically as the inventor and visionary spoke to Miroka on stage and handed it a bubble flower, which it accepted and used.

Posted on

About Robots in Space

On September 10, 2025, Tamara Siegmann and Oliver Bendel presented their short paper “Wearable Social Robots in Space” at the ICSR poster session. The ICSR is one of the leading conferences for social robotics worldwide. The 17th edition takes place from 10 to 12 September 2025 in Naples, Italy.  The term “wearable social robots” was introduced by Oliver Bendel in his article “Wearable Robots” and in his full paper “Wearable Social Robots for the Disabled and Impaired” (both from 2025). These are social robots with features of wearables and wearable robots. One example is AIBI from LivingAI. Tamara Siegmann and Oliver Bendel, both from the FHNW School of Business, investigated possibilities for the use of wearable social robots in a Mars mission. They demonstrated that these are useful for daily routine support, operational assistance, intimacy-related support, communication enhancement, and social facilitation. This is the first study of its kind. However, reference could be made to several projects involving humanoid and social robots for space missions. The poster can be downloaded here.

Posted on

Embodiment of Social Robotics Girl

On September 10, 2025, the workshop “Social Robotics Girl Becomes a Social Robot” took place at ICSR 2025. The ICSR is one of the leading conferences for social robotics worldwide. The 17th edition takes place from 10 to 12 September 2025 in Naples, Italy. The workshop was led by Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel (FHNW School of Business, Switzerland), Tamara Siegmann (FHNW School of Business, Switzerland), Leo Angelo Cabibihan (Roboticscool, Qatar), and Prof. Dr. John-John Cabibihan (Qatar University, Qatar). For the GPT, which was created by Oliver Bendel at the end of 2023, a suitable body and head were sought, with embodiment in the broadest sense being the goal. Leo Angelo Cabibihan and John-John Cabibihan had already created several models with Meshy and printed them out using a 3D printer. At the request of the participants, three groups with different goals were formed. The first group wanted to create an avatar and a figure with a human-like appearance, the second with a thing-like appearance, and the third with a gender-neutral appearance. First, Oliver Bendel gave an introduction to the creation of GPTs. Tamara Siegmann reported on her experiences with Social Robotics Girl. John-John Cabibihan introduced the use of the tools. The individual groups considered their embodiment. Avatars were created and animated with Meshy. Then the first models went into print. A final presentation summarized the possibilities and challenges.

Posted on

The 17th Edition of the ICSR

Mariacarla Staffa (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy) opened the ICSR 2025 on September 10, 2025, together with Bruno Siciliano (University of Naples Federico II). The ICSR is one of the leading conferences for social robotics worldwide. The 17th edition takes place from 10 to 12 September 2025 in Naples, Italy. Daniela Rus (MIT) then gave her keynote speech on “Physical AI”. From the abstract: “In today’s robot revolution a record 3.1 million robots are now working in factories, doing everything from assembling computers to packing goods and monitoring air quality and performance. A far greater number of smart machines impact our lives in countless other ways – improving the precision of surgeons, cleaning our homes, extending our reach to distant worlds – and we’re on the cusp of even more exciting opportunities. Future machines, enabled by recent advances in AI, will come in diverse forms and materials, embodying a new level of physical intelligence. Physical Intelligence is achieved when AI’s power to understand text, images, signals, and other information is used to make physical machines such as robots intelligent. However, a critical challenge remains: balancing AI’s capabilities with sustainable energy usage. To achieve effective physical intelligence, we need energy-efficient AI systems that can run reliably on robots, sensors, and other edge devices. In this talk I will discuss the energy challenges of foundational AI models, I will introduce several state space models and explain how they achieve energy efficiency, and I will talk about how state space models enable physical intelligence.” The approximately 300 participants at the renowned conference on social robotics applauded and then went on to parallel sessions featuring lectures, workshops, and poster presentations.

Posted on

300 Keywords Space

The book “300 Keywords Weltraum” (“300 Keywords Space”) by Oliver Bendel was published by Springer Gabler on August 28, 2025. The first printed copies were delivered at the beginning of September. It is a fundamental work on space travel and space. It contains numerous digressions, for example on space poetry and space art – or on the mythological background to the naming of celestial bodies and galaxies. Central themes that run through the entire book are ethics, robotics, and the environment. These are areas in which the Zurich-based philosopher of technology and business IT specialist is at home. You can either read from A for Anthropozän (Anthropocene) to Z for Zwegplanet (Dwarf Planet), or choose one of the more than 300 terms and jump from there. It is Oliver Bendel’s sixth “Keywords” book, two of which are already in their second edition, namely the one on information ethics and the one on digitization. The most recent publication in this series is “300 Keywords Generative KI” (“300 Keywords Generative AI”). The book can be downloaded or ordered at link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-49287-8. It is also available in bookstores.