<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> </head> <body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"> <div><b>ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction</b></div> <div>Special Issue on Robo-Identity: Designing for Identity in the Converging World of Humans and Machines</div> <div><br> </div> <div><b>Guest Editors:</b></div> <div>• Minha Lee, Eindhoven University of Technology, m.lee@tue.nl</div> <div>• Dimosthenis Kontogiorgos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, dkonto@mit.edu</div> <div>• André Pereira, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, atap@kth.se</div> <div><br> </div> <div>One emerging challenge in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research is to extensively explore the fluidity of</div> <div>identities across devices and technologies and how we share our identity with robots' identities. Understanding</div> <div>both human and artificial identities and investigating the why, when, and how they reside in an artificial body are</div> <div>compelling but still underexplored topics. The concept of robot identity has attracted research attention, be it</div> <div>identities represented on various forms of humanoid robots or more abstract designs. Beyond physical attributes,</div> <div>it is important to delve into the nature of robot identity in society, such as how human identities can interact with</div> <div>and be developed alongside robot identities.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>The special issue follows the topic of human and non-human identities, which has been explored through a series</div> <div>of three Robo-Identity workshops at the HRI conference since 2021. This burgeoning topic attracts</div> <div>interdisciplinary researchers, ranging from engineers and designers to philosophers, demonstrating traction</div> <div>across various fields and subfields that touch upon HRI. Focus points include strategies for robots or other forms</div> <div>of artificial agents to analyze and synthesize human identity over time, techniques for evolving artificial identities,</div> <div>the appropriateness of adapting identities across multiple embodiments, and the presentation of non-human</div> <div>identity as co-evolving with human identities.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>We see a pressing need for a more comprehensive investigation into the allocation and nature of identities within</div> <div>robotic or other artificial entities. Building on existing work on multi-embodiment, we can foster collaborative</div> <div>discourse on the intricate problem of artificial identity or robo-identity, catalyzed by the proliferation of diverse</div> <div>interfaces and agents. Additionally, we aim to deepen discussions around balancing a distinct machine-like</div> <div>identity, such as robotic speech, versus embracing blurred boundaries between human and machine, such as</div> <div>emotionally expressive speech and dialogue that sounds human-like. Lastly, it is timely to explore strategies for</div> <div>designing robots capable of adapting to the evolving identities of individuals and groups, methods for</div> <div>accommodating changing human needs and preferences, and approaches for analyzing and synthesizing human</div> <div>identity over time, reflecting the dynamic nature of robo-identity within societal contexts. Hence, we expect this</div> <div>special issue to attract diverse contributions on the broad topic of identity.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>By exploring the fluidity of identity, researchers and practitioners can contribute to creating technologies that not</div> <div>only accommodate diverse societal needs but also actively work towards mitigating biases and promoting</div> <div>inclusivity. We propose this special issue to provide a platform to incentivize further development and further</div> <div>disseminate research on identity.</div> <div><br> </div> <div><b>Topics</b></div> <div>Exploring the multifaceted concept of artificial identity and its implications in the shared world. We invite original</div> <div>research contributions, theoretical perspectives, datasets, case studies, and reviews that address various aspects</div> <div>of identity, including but not limited to the following topics:</div> <div>• Definitions and frameworks for understanding identity</div> <div>• Designing systems as identity hosts</div> <div>• Techniques for synthesizing and evolving artificial identities</div> <div>• Implications of modalities (e.g., synthetic voice and emotional expressions) on identity</div> <div>• Exploration of artificial identity in diverse forms and bodies</div> <div>• Promoting inclusivity or mitigating social biases through the design of artificial identities</div> <div>• Strategies for robots to analyze and synthesize human identity over time</div> <div>• Adapting to the fluidity of human identities over time with robots and artificial agents</div> <div>• Personalized engagement and adaptation to changing user needs and preferences</div> <div>• Applications of identity-aware robots in education, healthcare, or entertainment</div> <div>• Methodology and systems that support identity migration/re-embodiment</div> <div>• Balancing machine-like vs. human-like identities in design and interaction</div> <div>• Ethical, societal, and privacy considerations in designing, presenting, and interacting with artificial identities</div> <div>• Exploring psychological impacts and philosophical discussions on identity</div> <div>• Evaluation and user studies on the perception, acceptance, and impact of artificial identities</div> <div>• Cross-cultural and long-term studies on the evolution of human-robot relationships and identities</div> <div>• Interdisciplinary approaches to studying and designing artificial identities</div> <div><br> </div> <div><b>Important Dates</b></div> <div>• Submissions deadline: December 5, 2024</div> <div>• First-round review decisions: April 5, 2025</div> <div>• Deadline for revision submissions: July 5, 2025</div> <div>• Notification of second decision: September 5, 2025</div> <div>• Deadline for revisions: December 5, 2025</div> <div>• Notification of final decisions: January 15, 2026</div> <div>• Tentative publication: February 15, 2026</div> <div><br> </div> <div><b>Submission Information</b></div> <div>ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, open-access journal</div> <div>using an online submission and manuscript tracking system. We welcome contributions from researchers and</div> <div>practitioners across various disciplines to enrich the discourse on this important topic. Papers should be</div> <div>formatted according to the guidelines of the THRI journal and submitted through the online submission system.</div> <div>THRI does not have a page limit, but the submission length should suggest the weight of its contribution. Please</div> <div>check out the THRI author guidelines (<a href="https://dl.acm.org/journal/thri/author-guidelines"> <div style="display: inline !important;">ACM TRANSACTIONS ON HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION Author Guidelines |</div> </a></div> <div><a href="https://dl.acm.org/journal/thri/author-guidelines"> <div style="display: inline !important;">ACM Digital Library</div> </a>).</div> <div><br> </div> <div><b>To submit your paper, please:</b></div> <div>1. Go to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/thri and login or follow the "Create an account" link to register.</div> <div>2. After logging in, click the "Author" tab.</div> <div>3. Follow the instructions to "Start New Submission"</div> <div>4. Choose the paper type "SI: Robo-Identity: Designing for Identity in the Converging World of Humans and</div> <div>Machines.”</div> <div><br> </div> <div>For questions and further information, please contact m.lee@tue.nl, dkonto@mit.edu or atap@kth.se.</div> </body> </html>