This third installment and second workshop on Cultural Robotics aims to bring together diverse cultural perspectives to explore how robotics development can effectively integrate sustainability and circular economy principles (knowledge sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials) to foster environmentally responsible and socially inclusive innovation when prototyping, testing and developing social robots.
Edited by Belinda J. Dunstan (UNSW), Jeffrey T.K.V. Koh (Singapore Institute of Technology), and Hooman Samani (University of the Arts London), this volume collects revised and expanded papers from the 2nd International Workshop on Cultural Robotics, held on 3 March 2025 as part of the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human–Robot Interaction in Melbourne, Australia.
The Workshop
The workshop drew over 40 researchers from 14 countries—including Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK, and the USA—spanning engineering, design, art, education, and industry. Contributors presented 15 poster submissions in a gallery-walk format with lightning talks and critical discussion. The day also featured a keynote on Sustainability Principles for Robotics Design and a hands-on session prototyping robot expression through movement, posture, and puppetry using found materials.
Confirmed Schedule (Half-Day 9:00 – 12:30)
- 09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome & Workshop Opening | by Dr. Belinda J. Dunstan
- 09:10 – 09:30 | Keynote Speech – Sustainability Principles for Robotics Design | by Dr. Jeffrey T.K.V. Koh
- 09:30 – 10:30 | Hands-on Workshop – Recycled Milk-bottle Robots: Designing Movement for Affective Interaction | Facilitated by Dr. Belinda J. Dunstan
- 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break & Poster Gallery Walk
- 11:00 – 12:20 | Lightning Presentations and Interactive QnA | Moderated by Dr. Hooman Samani
- 12:20 – 12:30 | Publication Announcement & Closing | by Dr. Belinda J. Dunstan
Access the Publication
Published in Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI 16404)
The volume is available from Springer: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-15501-6