207: I Love My Robot Monkey Head
Professor Ayanna Howard of Georgia Tech discusses her research on humanoid robots interacting with children with special needs, focusing on kinematic modeling, robot operating system (ROS), and the psychological phenomenon of human-robot trust. She explains how robots like the Nao and Darwin Mini are used to study emotional responses and behavioral nuances, while also addressing the risks of over-trusting autonomous systems like self-driving cars. The conversation covers educational robotics platforms like Lego Mindstorms and Dash & Dot, and Howard's work with EngineerGirl.org to mentor young women in engineering.