alt.HRI invites high-quality submissions that push the boundaries of human-robot interaction research and that have high potential for impact. The goal for alt.HRI is to broaden the scope of research presented at HRI 2018. alt.HRI is methodologically inclusive, and especially welcoming unusual and innovative research methods. We invite thought-provoking work that might not otherwise be featured at the conference because it transcends established contribution Criteria.

alt.HRI contributions are

  • Radical: they push the envelope, take risks, and fall outside existing review processes
  • Relevant: they inspire broad interest and are timely
  • Rigorous: they are high-quality, well-argued contributions

Submissions will be rigorously reviewed by an expert alt.HRI program jury.

alt.HRI Review criteria include:

  • Is the work compelling and relevant to an open-minded HRI audience?
  • Is there potential for impact, controversy, or thought-provoking discussion, even if the work seems unusual, unlikely, or unorthodox?
  • Is the work rigorous, accepting that ‘rigor’ may fall outside of  what is typically published in HRI? Is the work well researched, well argued, well written, well implemented, or fully detailed?
  • Does the work belong in alt.HRI and not an existing HRI track?

Accepted papers will be orally presented in the main program and will be archived in the ACM Digital Library and IEEE Xplore Digital Library. Each presentation will be followed by a commentary from experts in the field. Up to eight anonymized, camera-ready pages in the ACM format, including references, are allowed for each paper (templates available online – please use the sample-sigconf.tex or ACM_SigConf.docx files). alt.HRI papers must be submitted via PCS (https://precisionconference.com/~hri).

Submission Topics

alt.HRI encourages the following types of submissions. For instance:

  • Critical HRI
  • Critical approaches to HRI.This includes speculative design proposals to challenge assumptions, conceptions about the role that robots play in everyday life. We invite thought provoking work and work that challenges current approaches and thinking.
  • Learning from Small Samples
  • Rare and unusual experiences and instances can sometimes prove to be more important and have more impact than large sample sizes of regular, expected results. For example, more is often learned from a single near accident (air, care, nuclear) than years of smooth operation. We invite papers that richly describe and theorize from such cases in HRI: single instances, outliers, exception cases, or small samples that provide important insights and valuable lessons.
  • Best Practices in HRI Research and Design
  • Insightful reflection on best practices for HRI, sharing key lessons learned in research and design. Papers may describe specific techniques for prototyping and developing HRI systems, or designing and conducting laboratory studies. Best practice papers provide non-obvious insights that would prove valuable to other HRI researchers.
  • Reflections on HRI
  • Position papers that reflect on the field of HRI, its history, and trajectory. We invite constructive reflections on past, present, and future HRI practice and standards. Reflections papers may also put a spotlight on the unique challenges faced by HRI researchers.
  • Novel Robotic Designs and Implementations
  • Quality implementations of highly innovative designs and implementations that are provocative and inspiring. This includes reports on robots that have inspiring, non-obvious, and novel technical capabilities, communication approaches, morphologies, or designs.

Important Dates

  • 6 October 2017: Submission Deadline
  • 4 December 2017: Notification of Acceptance
  • 15 January 2018: Final Camera Ready Deadline

alt.HRI 2018 Chairs

  • Christoph Bartneck, University of Canterbury
  • Fumihide Tanaka, University of Tsukuba

alt.HRI 2018 Jury

  • TBD