Research Seminar: Alberto Montebelli

May 07, 2026

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CAT

A203

How can physical human skills involving in-contact forces be transferred from a human expert to a robotic system (and back)? Can effective intention communication enable more natural collaboration between humans and their robotic coworkers? Can simple robots illuminate the complexity of self-motivated biological behavior?

This seminar draws on Alberto Montebelli’s research at the intersection of human-robot interaction and cognitive robotics to address these questions. The talk situates key findings within a broader scientific, social, and ethical landscape, and touches on what these lines of inquiry might offer even to more traditional engineering disciplines. The presentation is intended for graduate students and academics in technology-related fields, though the discussion is broadly accessible.

Bio

Dr. Alberto Montebelli investigates how principles of biological cognition can in-form the design of artificial intelligence and robotic systems capable of interacting naturally and effectively with humans. He holds an M.Eng. in Electronic Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) from the University of Bologna, Italy (2000), an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Skӧvde, Sweden (2005), and a Ph.D. from Linkӧping University, Sweden (2012). His research spans cognitive robotics, bio-in-spired AI, and physical human–robot interaction. His work has appeared in leading venues including ICRA, IROS, HRI, the Journal of Human-Robot Interaction, Adaptive Behavior, and Artificial Life.

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