We build robots that are useful, friendly and fun! We believe that robots can help us automate simple, repetitive tasks while bringing joy to our lives. 

We work on 3 main areas:

• Building robots that are useful and interact naturally and seamlessly with humans.

• Developing smart AI software to help robots understand what humans do, think, feel and mean.

• Creating new AI algorithms and implementing models of the human mind based on neuroscience, psychology and developmental science.

Our Vision

We aim to allow machines to adapt to how humans communicate, rather than making humans communicate like machines. 

Our Methods

We use the following techniques and approaches for our research and development.

• Multimodal signal processing (computer vision, sound and speech processing, tactile, laser, sonar, infrared, accelerometer/gyroscope)

• Machine learning

• Affective computing

• Developmental robotics

• In-the-wild data collection and testing

• User experience studies for human-robot interaction (HRI)

• Cognitive and behavioural modeling

• Artist-in-the-loop paradigms, with inspiration from films, games and music

Research Questions

Some of the questions we're trying to uncover include:

• Could a robot understand all the different meanings of a smile?

• How does AI in a robot body differ from non-embodied AI?

• How does context influence what humans and robots can perceive?

• What are the cultural similarities and differences in emotions and interactions? How are they learned?

• How does expression and understanding of emotions change human-robot interaction?

• How does interacting with a robot differ from interacting with a smartphone, PC or human?

• What would happen with a robot with a very long-term memory?

• And more...

Who's Rosie?

ROSIE stands for Robots with Social Intelligence and Empathy. We are inspired by Rosie, a helper robot from the Jetsons TV show who assisted in daily tasks as well as kept up people's spirits with her sassy personality. 

About Us

The SFU Rosie Lab is led by Dr. Angelica Lim, a Rajan Family Assistant Professor in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. 

We are located on the Burnaby Campus in Vancouver, Canada, sharing lab space with the awesome folks at the SFU Autonomy Lab and MARS Lab. Check them out!