{"id":19921,"date":"2026-01-08T15:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/snt-en\/?post_type=news&p=19921"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:11:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T16:11:56","slug":"teaching-robots-to-work-with-humans","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/snt-en\/news\/teaching-robots-to-work-with-humans\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching robots to work with humans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Two SnT researchers are helping robots understand people, movement and context, so that humans and robots can safely collaborate in real-world environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robots are moving beyond controlled factory floors and into places full of people, movement and uncertainty, such as hospitals, construction sites, warehouses and even homes. At the University of Luxembourg\u2019s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT), two PhD researchers are addressing a key question behind this shift: how can robots understand the world well enough to work safely and naturally alongside humans? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nRobots struggle with change and context\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For humans, understanding a scene comes naturally. We know that a chair can be moved, that people have intentions, and that spaces evolve over time. For robots, this kind of understanding is far from straightforward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRobots might see objects and obstacles,\u201d explains Laura Ribeiro, a first-year PhD researcher at SnT, \u201cbut they do not understand the components of the workspace in a deep way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco Giberna, a second-year PhD researcher, looks at the same limitation from another angle: movement. \u201cToday, most robots simply stop when someone crosses their path,\u201d he says. \u201cThey react, but they don\u2019t anticipate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This becomes a serious challenge in environments such as hospitals, warehouses and construction sites, where conditions and spatial dynamics change constantly. Without the ability to reason about movement and change, robots are either overly cautious, inefficient, or potentially unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \n\"Laura

\n Laura Ribeiro presenting her research at SnT’s Partnership Day. <\/p>\n <\/figure>\n\n\n

\nPrediction,\u00a0memory\u00a0and shared understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marco\u2019s research focuses on giving robots a more human-like ability to reason about movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy work allows robots to predict and reason about dynamic elements, even when they are out of sight, exactly as we humans do,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practical terms, the robot learns to remember what it has seen and to use that memory along with other information inferred by the context to anticipate what might happen next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura\u2019s research complements this approach by bringing humans directly into the robot\u2019s understanding process. Using a mixed reality device, Microsoft\u2019s HoloLens, she creates a shared visual environment between human and robot, allowing knowledge to flow in both directions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her aim is to enable people to point, click or speak to the robot, rather than interacting through code. This lowers the barrier to communication and shifts human\u2013robot interaction away from rigid commands towards genuine collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n \n\"Researcher

\n Researcher testing a robot at a construction site. <\/p>\n <\/figure>\n\n\n

\nWhy these two research paths fit together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The connection between Marco\u2019s and Laura\u2019s work is a natural one. \u201cMarco helps robots understand that a chair can move,\u201d Laura explains. Her work then enhances the robot\u2019s understanding of what that movement means within the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both researchers describe the learning process as similar to guiding a child. Humans supervise, explain and correct. Robots learn, adapt and improve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrying to make robots reason in a more human-like way helps us understand what they are actually doing,\u201d Marco says, \u201cand avoid unpredictable or harmful behaviour.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSafer spaces and better collaboration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

 The real-world impact of this research lies in shared environments where humans and robots work side by side. Examples include robots delivering equipment in hospitals, inspection robots navigating unsafe construction sites, or household robots responding to cleaning instructions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura highlights safety as a key benefit. \u201cIn a construction site, I can see what the robot sees in dangerous areas while staying safe myself,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both researchers are clear that their goal is not replacement. \u201cWe don\u2019t want robots to replace humans,\u201d Laura says. \u201cWe want both of them working together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Marco and Laura\u2019s PhD research are supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), reflecting the strategic importance of human-centred robotics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHumans and robots as teams\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the rapid rise of generative AI, the gap in human\u2013robot interaction and collaboration is closing quickly. Both researchers agree, however, on the direction this collaboration should take. \u201cThe future is not humans or robots,\u201d Laura says, \u201cbut humans and robots working together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At SnT, that future is already being shaped by teaching robots not only how to see and move, but how to understand the environment, ask questions, reason and collaborate. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\nPeople in this story<\/h2>\n\n

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    \n \n\"\"\n <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    \nMarco Giberna<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    PhD researcher at SnT working on robot perception and prediction in dynamic environments, supported by the FNR\u2019s Joint Call Defence Project.<\/p>\n\n

    \n \n \n View profile<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/use><\/svg> <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li>
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    \n \n\"\"\n <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    \nLaura Ribeiro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    PhD researcher at SnT focusing on human\u2013robot interaction through extended reality, supported by FNR AFR funding.<\/p>\n\n

    \n \n \n View profile<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/use><\/svg> <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":19925,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"featured_image_focal_point":{"x":0.45,"y":0.66},"show_featured_caption":false,"ulux_newsletter_groups":"","uluxPostTitle":"","uluxPrePostTitle":"","_trash_the_other_posts":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"news-category":[4],"news-topic":[439,10],"organisation":[184],"authorship":[66],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTeaching robots to work with humans - SnT news I University of Luxembourg<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n