Subscribe now

Technology

The hardest thing about robots? Teaching them to cope with us

Humans are spectacularly weird and unpredictable. Computer scientist Anca Dragan is working on helpful robots that understand how we get things wrong

7 August 2019

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I got interested in computer science at an early age, but before then, it mostly depended on which movie last inspired me.

Explain what you do in one easy paragraph.

I get robots to account for humans when deciding on their actions. On the one hand, this means giving them the ability to make predictions about what we will do next and make sure they can coordinate with us, like when autonomous cars negotiate for their turn during a merge in traffic. On the other hand,…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop