Our humanoid robot, Rubo, arrived near the end of June 2026 and is still in the early stages of development toward the Rubo we envisioned. Recently, Rubo and the project collaborators held their first Meet and Greet with colleagues from the library. The event brought plenty of laughter, curiosity, and new insights through engaging interactions between Rubo and library colleagues.
Project Overview
Dr. Xian Bak (PI) introduced and recognized the many project team members involved from both within and outside the Libraries, outlined the project scope and timeline, and addressed some of the questions and highlights of the library employee survey on Rubo acceptance and perception. Following that, each Co-PI’s team demonstrated aspects of their work or shared plans for Rubo.
You Ask, Rubo Answers
Dr. Stanley Bak (Co-PI) and his team from Computer Science demonstrated “You Ask, Rubo Answers,” inviting volunteers to test Rubo’s ability to answer questions across both its in-scope and out-of-scope knowledge areas and in multiple languages. In collaboration with the libraries’ project team, this demonstration tested different emerging AI technologies, system configurations, and AI guardrails operating behind the scenes in an accessible and straightforward way.
You Move, Rubo Mirrors.
Dr. Nilanjan Chakraborty (Co-PI) and his team from Mechanical Engineering demonstrated “You Move, Rubo Mirrors.” Volunteers were invited to guide Rubo’s arms through a movement, which Rubo then learned and reproduced. This activity provided a simplified demonstration of the team’s broader, cutting-edge research on developing household robots to support older adults. Working with the libraries’ project team, the researchers will also develop interactive greeting gestures that Rubo can use to welcome library and campus visitors. At the same time, the team will explore supervised autonomous navigation within the library environment.
Library staff engaging with Rubo.
User and library experience matters.
Dr. Yan Xiao (Co-PI) from Technology, AI and Society emphasized the importance of evaluating human interactions with humanoid robots as these technologies become increasingly present in the broader community in the next decade. Together with the libraries’ team, she and her research team will examine the user journey, from self-reported perceptions to observed user-experience data, as well as the Rubo’s organizational impact within the Libraries, its host entity.
Forthcoming
Rubo is planning to meet with library and campus visitors during the fall semester. Stay tuned!
Library colleagues during the event.