March 28, 2025: Jack Kolb successfully defends his Thesis, ‘Modeling and Applying User Cognitive Skills and Inferred World Belief States to Human-Robot Teaming’.
Abstract: Robots are increasingly sought after to support individuals in high-workload or closely collaborative environments across various operational domains. However, limited research has explored how robots can actively leverage a user’s cognitive state to personalize their support. In human-human teams, we use theory of mind and consider our teammates’ individual capabilities to guide team dynamics, enhancing team fluency and proactivity. Human cognition is challenging to define, measure, and influence, making the integration of user cognition into human-robot interactions non-trivial. This thesis explores how robots can incorporate their human teammates’ cognitive states as an integral part of planning and interactions. Specifically, this thesis contributes to defining and utilizing cognitive states by 1) measuring and applying the user’s cognitive skills to predict their future robot operation performance and facilitate role assignment, and 2) inferring the user’s belief state to assess their situation awareness and inform active assistance capabilities.