I am Chia-Hsin Wu, a Doctoral Researcher of the CONVERGENCE of Humans and Machines project and Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) unit at Tampere University, Finland. The topic of my doctoral study is "Robots as Companions to Support Life-Long Wellness".
My academic interests include,
• Social Robots and their Implementations
• Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
• User Experience of Vulnerable User Groups
Contact details:
Address: Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
Office in Tietotalo building, room TE104
Office in Tietotalo building, room TE104
• Email: chia-hsin.wu@tuni.fi
• LinkedIn
• ORCID
ABOUT ME
During my bachelor's study in industrial design at NTUST (Taiwan), I had first contact with the field of robotics through my participation in an exchange program at Tampere University. In the exchange program, I had the chance to combine my industrial design knowledge with the implementation of technological solutions. This international experience helped me discover my scholarly motivation, which led to the pursuit of a master’s degree in Human-Technology Interaction at Tampere University.
My master’s thesis was a collaborative project with Utelias Technologies Oy that focuses on primary school pupils’ learning experience of robot programming. As an achievement, my thesis was awarded the first prize in the SIGCHI Finland master’s thesis competition in 2022. The committee highlighted the thesis’s value in raising awareness of data ethics and digital literacy in scientific research. After completing my master’s degree, I started my academic career as a researcher of the AI Hub Tampere project and started my doctoral research on the CONVERGENCE of Humans and Machines project in September 2023.
MOTIVATION
Throughout my education and work experiences, I have realized that the design of robotic technology does lack proper consideration regarding the needs of vulnerable groups. To gain comprehension of life-long wellness, my doctoral study aims to include children and older adults as target users, as they each present different perspectives from opposite ends of the life spectrum.
I am motivated to carry out multidisciplinary collaborations that identify children’s and older adults’ needs to interact with robotic technologies in authentic environments. The objective of my doctoral study is to draw scientific novelty by studying the trustworthiness of companion robots in physical-emotional wellness contexts.
DOCTORAL RESEARCH
Robots have demonstrated promise in promoting physical and emotional wellness. However, trust poses a key challenge in robot acceptance, particularly for vulnerable users with limited technology literacy. Robots have demonstrated promise in promoting physical and emotional wellness. However, trust poses a key challenge in robot acceptance, particularly for vulnerable users with limited technology literacy.
My research aimed to investigate the perceived trustworthiness within Human-Robot Interaction, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable user groups, namely children under 18 years old and older adults over 65 years old. The goal is to improve the accessibility of robotic solutions and develop a framework for the everyday implementation of vulnerable users.
PERSONAL BRIEF
I have been living in Tampere, Finland since October 2020. I enjoy traveling, physical exercises (e.g., yoga, aerial acrobatics, biking, etc), photographing, and baking during my free time.
