[ACM/IEEE HRI 2027] Call for Papers: HRI 2027 Student Design Competition – Robots in Public Spaces

Dear Students and Colleagues,
We are excited to announce the Call for Papers for the Student Design Competition (SDC) at the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI 2027), which will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Theme: Robots in Public Spaces The 2027 theme is "Robots in Public Spaces." We invite student teams to design robots and interactive systems for complex, shared, and often unpredictable environments—such as sidewalks, plazas, transit stations, and hospital lobbies. We are looking for serious design thinking that accounts for stakeholders, bystanders, and the messy realities of these multi-party settings.
Physical robots, software-only systems, interaction concepts, and spatial/service designs are all welcome. Expensive hardware is not required; a rigorous, well-argued software or conceptual design is highly competitive.
Who Should Apply? Student teams of 2 to 5 members from any discipline and at any stage of their studies (undergraduate through PhD). Multidisciplinary teams are highly encouraged! If you are looking for a team, please contact us, and we can help match you.
Submission Details Your submission should be a tightly scoped, design-centric extended abstract, not a full technical paper.

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Length: Up to 4 pages (including references).
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Format: HRI 2027 <https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/acm-conference-proceedings-primary-article-template/wbvnghjbzwpc> proceedings format<https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/acm-conference-proceedings-primary-article-template/wbvnghjbzwpc>.
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Anonymization: Submissions are NOT anonymous.
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Video: Up to 3 minutes showing the interaction (optional, but strongly encouraged).
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Submission Site: Submission link will be posted on the HRI 2027 conference website closer to the deadline

Note: Work in progress is perfectly acceptable at the time of submission, provided the remaining work is realistically achievable by the camera-ready deadline.
Important Dates

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Submission Deadline: November 20, 2026
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Notification of Acceptance: December 18, 2026
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Camera-Ready Deadline: January 2, 2027 (All deadlines are 23:59 AoE)

Accepted teams will present a live or video-supported demonstration at a dedicated showcase during the conference and will compete for the Best Design Award, Public Spaces Award, and People’s Choice Award.
For the complete evaluation criteria, detailed submission requirements, and information on funding and support, please refer to the full Call for Papers on the HRI 2027 conference website.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
We can't wait to see your designs!
Best regards,
Nikhil Gowda and Paige Tuttösí
Student Design Competition Co-Chairs, HRI 2027



Guy Laban, PhD

Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) at Department of Industrial Engineering & Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Member of The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Director of LabaLab<https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r02/___https://labalab.li___.YzJlOmJlbmd1cmlvbnVuaXZlcnNpdHlvZnRoZW5lZ2V2OmM6bzpjOTJjZTZlM2RkMWE4MWRmOWU3NzVlOTZmMGUyNDk0Yzo3OjYwZTg6ZWU0ZTAxMjE2NDU5ZWE1NTRiZDdjYmM0NjdiODA1NGJiZmQ4YTMyZTk0NDZkN2U4NDk5OTVhODBhZGYzNWFlMTpoOlQ6Tg>, Language, Affect, and Behaviour in AI.
Steering Committee Board Member and Researcher of The Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research<https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r02/___https://www.autismisrael.org/___.YzJlOmJlbmd1cmlvbnVuaXZlcnNpdHlvZnRoZW5lZ2V2OmM6bzpjOTJjZTZlM2RkMWE4MWRmOWU3NzVlOTZmMGUyNDk0Yzo3OjkzMmI6NTlmZWQxNzA5NjhkYzcxZTE3Y2NiYzMyOWM3YjJmMmRmZGViZjc4NjgyZDNjNDMzMDE2OTlkZjg0YjY3YzM2NTpoOlQ6Tg>
email: [email protected]<mailto:%[email protected]>
website: https://www.guylaban.com<https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r02/___https://www.guylaban.com___.YzJlOmJlbmd1cmlvbnVuaXZlcnNpdHlvZnRoZW5lZ2V2OmM6bzo5YTcyY2Y0ZDhkZDM1OWMyYzYwZWE3MGMwOGQ0Y2FkMzo3OjZjYmE6NDJiYmNhY2VmMTQ5MzM4YzUzYjcwYzRkNmY0M2FhMTNkZTJjNTQ2NTI5YjEzZTYyZmMzMjU4ODllMmM2ZWNmNjpoOlQ6Tg>


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