When integrating humanoid robots into our daily lives, a myriad of factors can influence how a person perceives and interacts with a robot. In particular, humanoid robots' embodiment, situatedness, and morphology may individually and collectively affect the interactions between a person and robot. Both utilitarian and aesthetic factors of the physical design of the robot can positively or adversely affect those interactions. It is therefore necessary to investigate how humanoid design choices may impact robots in society. In this chapter, relevant research in the human-robot interaction (HRI) area is presented alongside research that underscores the importance of embodied cognition, situatedness, and morphology of a robot. Literature demonstrates the importance of a materially embodied design that accounts for situatedness as necessary elements to elicit positive perception of a robot agent. Additionally, we explore studies that examine humanoid robots with different morphologies and explore how those design changes alter the interaction that takes place.

Designing Collaborator Robots for Highly-Dynamic Multi-Human, Multi-Robot Teams, Office of Naval Research (ONR) PI: Monica Nicolescu, co-PI: David Feil-Seifer, Amount: $656,511, April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2019

CHS: Small: Collaborative Research: Spatio-Temporal Situational Awareness in Large-Scale Disasters Using Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, National Science Foundation PI: David Feil-Seifer, Amount: $166,666, Jan. 1, 2016 - Dec. 31, 2017

Undergraduate and Graduate Robotics Curriculum For UNR College of Engineering, NASA Space Grant PI: David Feil-Seifer, co-PI: Monica Nicolescu, Hung La, Kostas Alexis, Logan Yliniemi, Amount: $76,539, Sept. 1, 2016 - Aug. 31, 2017