Cognitive Models in Robotics and Human–Robot Interaction

10 Settembre 2026
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Giovedì 10 Settembre, ore 10:00
Aula Riunioni DII, sesto piano, Largo L. Lazzarino, Pisa

ABSTRACT

This seminar provides an overview of cognitive models applied to robotics, with a particular focus on the computational mechanisms underlying perception, memory, language, and decision-making. The aim is to illustrate how cognitive-inspired systems can support autonomous and adaptive robot behaviour, moving beyond purely task-specific approaches.
The seminar will cover topics including cognitive architectures, neural models and learning mechanisms, language acquisition in artificial systems, and human–robot interaction (HRI). Relevant applications and simulation studies will also be presented, highlighting the role of cognitive models in the development of autonomous robotic systems for healthcare.

BIO

Dr. Giovanni Masala is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Kent, School of Computing, where he leads the Cognitive Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab. His research spans artificial intelligence, robotics, human–robot interaction, medical imaging, and language processing, with a strong publication record and an established international profile. He has held lead and co-investigator roles on multiple funded research projects exploring the application of AI and robotics to real-world domains, including healthcare, industry, and assistive technologies. Dr Masala has extensive experience in academic–industry collaboration, technology transfer, and the supervision of doctoral research in cognitive and embodied AI. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society and serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Robotics and AI. In the area of language understanding, he contributed to the development of large-scale neural cognitive architectures, achieving significant scientific and public impact.