@inproceedings{krugerRuralHCIShared2026,

title = {Rural HCI: Towards a Shared Research Agenda},

author = {Max Krüger and Jean Hardy and Yannick Bollmann and Philip Engelbutzeder and Jacob Hochhaus and Teresa Kersting and Felix Carros and David Unbehaun and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/5637},

doi = {10.48340/icirr2026_12},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-01-01},

urldate = {2026-09-07},

publisher = {EUSSET},

abstract = {Rural areas are unique regions, with complex, interlocking challenges and opportunities. Worldwide developments such as increasing digitalisation, climate change, globalisation and urbanization, however, put rural regions under considerable pressure and serve as a starting point to investigate how and where HCI should intervene in rural areas. Over the last decade or so, HCI and CSCW have increasingly recognised this. Nevertheless, there is little to unite this research agenda under one umbrella and allow HCI and CSCW researchers to distinguish and operationalise rural areas across the world for HCI. In this paper we draw on many years of field- and design work, located in two rural regions in the global north, to develop a shared research agenda for HCI in rural areas. This includes an initial set of thematic areas for HCI research in rural regions. We also provide methodological reflections on rural multi-sitedness for research and design that take rurality and regionality into account.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{renardias4DayWeekHospital2025,

title = {Towards a 4-Day Week in Hospital Care: Exploring Staff Perspectives and the Role of Technology in a Local German Hospital},

author = {Julia Renardias and Felix Carros and Dave Randall and Claudia Müller and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3742800.3742832},

doi = {10.1145/3742800.3742832},

isbn = {979-8-4007-1521-1},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-10-01},

urldate = {2025-12-08},

booktitle = {Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Communities & Technologies},

pages = {278–291},

publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

series = {C&T '25},

abstract = {The healthcare sector faces growing challenges in ensuring staff satisfaction and retention while maintaining high standards of patient care. One proposed solution is the introduction of a four-day workweek (4DW). This preliminary study investigates the organizational, technological, and experiential conditions under which a 4DW could be accepted and implemented in a hospital setting. The study was conducted in a semi-rural German hospital and is based on a participatory health research approach. Data were collected through observations, informal conversations, and semi-structured interviews with medical and nursing staff. Particular attention was given to workflow inefficiencies, hierarchical communication barriers, and the role of digitalization in relieving administrative workload. The findings indicate that a 4DW has the potential to improve job satisfaction and staff retention. However, successful implementation depends on structural readiness, participatory decision-making, and technological support. Digital tools, such as process automation and electronic documentation, can contribute to workflow optimization, but their effectiveness is shaped by organizational culture and employee acceptance.},

keywords = {italg},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{kerstingAssistingForestsTrees2025,

title = {Assisting Forests and Trees Planning with a Decision Tree},

author = {Teresa Kersting and Max Krüger and Ishani Banerjee and Paul Goedeke and Felix Carros and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/5324},

doi = {10.48340/ct2025-1024},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-07-21},

publisher = {European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)},

abstract = {Handling uncertainty is tricky, especially when important decisions need to be made. In recent years, forests and forestry have faced 

increasing pressure from the effects of climate change. Events such as widespread bark beetle infestations have raised new and urgent 

questions: How should damaged areas be reforested? Which tree species will be resilient in the face of future disturbances and a 

changing climate? Uncertainty and lack of knowledge can paralyse decision-making, thereby hindering the reforestation process. To 

explore this issue, an ethnographic study was conducted, combining qualitative interviews, participation in excursions, and observation 

of the everyday work of forest professionals and forest owners. The goal was twofold: gathering knowledge on the adaptation of 

forests to climate change and seeing how the design of artefacts could address the issue. Ultimately, a digital tool, called the decision 

tree, was developed to support the decision-making process. A participatory design process reveled both the potential and the limits 

of digital tools: While digital tools are capable of supporting and structuring consultation processes, they are far from keeping up 

with the complexity of specific contexts, such as maintaining landscapes. These findings provide valuable insights into knowledge 

management and expertise sharing in the fields of Human-computer interaction (HCI) and Computer-supported cooperative work 

(CSCW).},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{carrosChattingForestryGuidelines2025,

title = {Chatting with Forestry Guidelines: Using Chatbots to Improve Access to Complex Forest Knowledge},

author = {Felix Carros and Philip Weber and Theresa Kersting and Max Krüger and Paul Goedeke and Faisal Mahmood and Thomas Ludwig and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/5325},

doi = {10.48340/ct2025-1026},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-07-21},

publisher = {European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)},

abstract = {Forestry guidelines play a crucial role in translating environmental policy into actionable practices, yet they are often 

complex, text-heavy, and difficult for non-experts to navigate. In this paper, we present a prototype called Forea Bot, a conversational 

AI system developed to address the challenge of accessing forest knowledge. The system uses a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) 

architecture. Developed from a socioinformatics perspective, it combines large language models with curated forestry documents 

and is shaped by participatory design insights. We present findings from an evaluation conducted during a workshop with forestry 

stakeholders and discuss how such systems shape trust in chatbot responses and make visible tensions between conflicting sources of 

knowledge in forestry-related communication. While not a substitute for expert consultation, our findings suggest that chatbots like 

Forea Bot can complement traditional channels of knowledge exchange, particularly in domains characterized by complexity, value 

pluralism, and limited access to expertise.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{manaviWizardOzUnderestimated2025,

title = {Wizard of Oz: An Underestimated Method in the Field of Social Robotics},

author = {Mehrbod Manavi and Felix Carros and Julia Renardias and Sima Amirkhani and Rainer Wieching and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://dl.eusset.eu/handle/20.500.12015/5322},

doi = {10.48340/ct2025-1009},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-07-21},

publisher = {European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)},

abstract = {In 2017, we designed a basic web dashboard to temporarily control Pepper’s robot, which was in the process of implementing an 

Android remote controller app. Although the intention was to operate the robot’s basic control, its design and function have led to its 

long-term use of this dashboard, even now. We quite underestimated the potential use of this dashboard. Often, it helps us bring the 

robot to life and make it functional, whereas the Choregraphe and smartphone remote app could not connect to it. Later, we often used 

the Wizard of Oz method to impress older adults in the care home and demonstrate the fun aspects of the robot to them. Nowadays, it 

is less frequent to use the dashboard and Wizard of Oz in general; still, it is a game-changer when new people see and interact with 

the robot. However, this raises some ethical considerations about manipulating the target groups to like the robot. Therefore, in this 

paper, we discuss the importance of ethical considerations in using the Wizard of Oz method and the design implications that lead to 

the long-term use of this dashboard.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{trovatoCelesTETheomorphicDevice2024,

title = {CelesTE, theomorphic device for cognitive support of older adults},

author = {Gabriele Trovato and Yegang Du and Scean Mitchell and Franco Pariasca Trevejo and Rodrigo Lopez Condori and Masao Katagiri and Rio Obe and Manishk Gawande and Sarah Cosentino and Mehrbod Manavi and Felix Carros and Rainer Wieching},

url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10557814},

doi = {10.1109/ARSO60199.2024.10557814},

issn = {2162-7576},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-05-01},

urldate = {2024-12-11},

booktitle = {2024 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Its Social Impacts (ARSO)},

pages = {200–205},

abstract = {Healthy ageing is a challenge in societies that can be coped with the help of socially assistive robots. This study introduces CelesTE, a theomorphic device designed to support the well-being of older adults. Building upon the foundations laid by SanTO, the Catholic robot, CelesTE takes the form of an angel in prayer and aims to engage users, particularly those of the Christian Catholic faith. The paper delves into CelesTE’s conceptual evolution, addressing challenges related to religious perceptions, fallibility, and user interaction. Quantitative and qualitative feedback was collected from 14 participants across three European countries. Results indicate generally positive acceptance, although limitation were found. Negative responses are considered particularly valuable for CelesTE’s future development.},

keywords = {Aging, Assistive robots, Buildings, Europe, older adults, Robots},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{carrosFearsSocialRobots2023,

title = {Fears about Social Robots in Nursing},

author = {Felix Carros and Sabine Jockisch and Mehrbod Manavi and Volker Wulf},

doi = {10.48340/ihc2023_p020},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-09-01},

abstract = {As the nursing sector's shortcomings remain unchanged, social robots are becoming increasingly relevant. While real-life encounters are uncommon, the media and fiction continue to impact people's perceptions of robots. Capabilities and shortcomings are frequently exaggerated, producing a vision of automated technology that will replace human labor. This article focuses on the topic of worries associated with robot use. Most stakeholders are concerned about disenfranchisement and data protection. They create uncertainties about how the introduction of robots will affect people's lives and work situations. This article compiles the concerns of various parties and advocates for the transparent and participatory development of robots in nursing.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{krugerAdaptingForestsUncertain2023,

title = {Adapting Forests to an Uncertain Climate: A Critical Technology Review},

author = {Max Krüger and Felix Carros and Maximilian Brandt and Débora Castro Leal},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3588001.3609362},

doi = {10.1145/3588001.3609362},

isbn = {979-8-4007-0149-8},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-08-01},

urldate = {2023-08-14},

booktitle = {Proceedings of the 6th ACM SIGCAS/SIGCHI Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies},

pages = {54–63},

publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

series = {COMPASS '23},

abstract = {Forests across the world play a crucial role in the fight against the climate catastrophe as well as mass extinction that characterise the Anthropocene. However, they are also increasingly threatened by destructive human practices such as agriculture and mining, but also climate change itself. This article focuses on forests in Germany, which have been devastated in recent years by heat, drought and bark beetles. Hence, forests and associated forestry practices are in urgent need of adaptation to a different climate. Several digital applications have been developed to assist with this effort. Adaptation is complicated by the epistemological challenge of climate change, that the uncertainty of how exactly climate change will affect specific local sites, as well as future markets for forest products, poses. In this short paper we review how two applications address this uncertainty in their approach to supporting the climate adaptation of forests and draw out preliminary lessons for HCI research and design.},

keywords = {climate, conservation, environmental stewardship, forests, knowledge management, Sustainability, Uncertainty},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{helmZoomorphicRobotsPeople2022,

title = {Zoomorphic Robots and People with Disabilities},

author = {Melina Helm and Felix Carros and Johannes Schädler and Volker Wulf},

url = {http://dl.gi.de/handle/20.500.12116/39247},

doi = {10.1145/3543758.3547552},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-01},

urldate = {2022-09-12},

booktitle = {Pfleging, B., Gerling, K. & Mayer, S. (Hrsg.), Mensch und Computer 2022 - Tagungsband},

pages = {5},

publisher = {ACM},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

abstract = {Although zoomorphic robots are already popular as companions in some parts of the world, like Japan, they are still a niche product in Germany and are primarily present in academia. In this study, we analyse the effects of the new version of the zoomorphic robot AIBO on people with disabilities living in residential care homes. We observed the interaction for four weeks, giving the care workers and residents complete control of the robot. We specifically looked at factors like well-being and interaction strategies. Our findings show mixed results. Whereas AIBO seems to have positive effects on some residents, e.g. reducing loneliness and enhancing personal well-being, others relate less positively to its limited functions and language restrictions. This study indicates that AIBO has the potential to be used meaningfully in real-world care contexts in Germany but needs improvement to have a fully positive impact.},

note = {Accepted: 2022-08-31T09:43:01Z 

Publisher: ACM},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{carrosCareWorkersMaking2022,

title = {Care Workers Making Use of Robots: Results of a Three-Month Study on Human-Robot Interaction within a Care Home},

author = {Felix Carros and Isabel Schwaninger and Adrian Preussner and Dave Randall and Rainer Wieching and Geraldine Fitzpatrick and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517435},

doi = {10.1145/3491102.3517435},

isbn = {978-1-4503-9157-3},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-04-01},

urldate = {2022-04-28},

booktitle = {CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

series = {CHI '22},

abstract = {Research on social robots in care has often focused on either the care recipients or the technology itself, neglecting the care workers who, in and through their collaborative and coordinative practices, will need to work with the robots. To better understand these interactions with a social robot (Pepper), we undertook a 3 month long-term study within a care home to gain empirical insights into the way the robot was used. We observed how care workers learned to use the device, applied it to their daily work life, and encountered obstacles. Our findings show that the care workers used the robot regularly (1:07 hours/day) mostly in one-to-one interactions with residents. While the robot had a limited effect on reducing the workload of care workers, it had other positive effects, demonstrating the potential to enhance the quality of care.},

keywords = {a-paper, appropriation, Care Robot, Care Work, COVID-19, cscw, Empirical study, Empowerment, HCI, HRI, Humanoid, Long-term, Nurse, Pandemic, Participatory design, Practice-based, Residential Care, Robotic Support, social robot, Social Service, Sustainable Technology Integration, Usage Patterns, Work practices},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{carrosNotThatUncanny2022,

title = {Not that Uncanny After All? An Ethnographic Study on Android Robots Perception of Older Adults in Germany and Japan},

author = {Felix Carros and Berenike Bürvenich and Ryan Browne and Yoshio Matsumoto and Gabriele Trovato and Mehrbod Manavi and Keiko Homma and Toshimi Ogawa and Rainer Wieching and Volker Wulf},

editor = {Filippo Cavallo and John-John Cabibihan and Laura Fiorini and Alessandra Sorrentino and Hongsheng He and Xiaorui Liu and Yoshio Matsumoto and Shuzhi Sam Ge},

url = {https://www.wineme.uni-siegen.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/069-Not-that-uncanny-after-all_-Camera-Ready_v2.pdf},

doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-24670-8_51},

isbn = {978-3-031-24670-8},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

booktitle = {Social Robotics},

pages = {574–586},

publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},

address = {Cham},

series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science},

abstract = {Intercultural studies are scarce but yet insightful to better understand reactions of older adults to human-like Android robot behavior. They help to see which reactions of participants are universal and which are country specific. Research with android robots and older adults has many results that are based on online research with pictures or on research that has been carried out in labs in one country. Within a Japanese-European research project, we had the rare occasion to work with an android robot in both countries and compare the results. We collected data from 19 participants that were invited in a Living Lab at two universities in Japan and Germany. The data contains interviews, videos and questionnaires and was analyzed with a mixed method approach. Results indicate that the android robots of this study are not in the valley of the uncanny valley theory. We could observe that the older adults and stakeholders from both countries were open to talk to the robot, some even about private topics, while others preferred to use the robot to retrieve information. German participants wished for more gestures, while Japanese participants were keen on the relatively little number of gestures. With this work we contribute to a broader understanding on how older adults perceive android robots and could show that an android robot with its human-like appearance is not seen as uncanny.},

keywords = {Android robot, appropriation, Assisted living, Ethnography, HRI, living lab, NLP, older adults, Self-disclosure, social robot, Uncanny valley, Wizard-of-Oz},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{krugerUnderstandingForestryPractices2022,

title = {Understanding Forestry Practices to Support Climate Adaption},

author = {Max Krüger and Felix Carros and Michael Ahmadi and Debora de Castro Leal and Maximilian Brandt and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3547522.3547677},

doi = {10.1145/3547522.3547677},

isbn = {978-1-4503-9448-2},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

urldate = {2022-10-07},

booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 2022 Nordic Human-Computer Interaction Conference},

pages = {1–6},

publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

series = {NordiCHI '22},

abstract = {Forests and their management practices are under considerable pressure to adapt to a changing climate. This study reports on early results on the adaptation of forests and forestry practices in Europe. Our study confirms the social and situated nature of forestry and climate adaption and found that the absence of appropriate knowledge and the multi-actor nature of the forest are central challenges for the necessary adaptation. These challenges are well known to HCI research and resonate with approaches to knowledge management and participation of multiple actors in design. The forest however also challenges existing approaches in return. This makes the forest a site not just for urgent action to realise its role in climate mitigation, but also for the production of HCI knowledge.},

keywords = {climate, conservation, environmental stewardship, forea, forestry, forests, Sustainability},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{carrosExploringHumanRobotInteraction2020,

title = {Exploring Human-Robot Interaction with the Elderly: Results from a Ten-Week Case Study in a Care Home},

author = {Felix Carros and Johanna Meurer and Diana Löffler and David Unbehaun and Sarah Matthies and Inga Koch and Rainer Wieching and Dave Randall and Marc Hassenzahl and Volker Wulf},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376402},

doi = {10.1145/3313831.3376402},

isbn = {978-1-4503-6708-0},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-04-01},

urldate = {2021-04-15},

booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},

pages = {1–12},

publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},

address = {New York, NY, USA},

series = {CHI '20},

abstract = {Ageing societies and the associated pressure on the care systems are major drivers for new developments in socially assistive robotics. To understand better the real-world potential of robot-based assistance, we undertook a 10-week case study in a care home involving groups of residents, caregivers and managers as stakeholders. We identified both, enablers and barriers to the potential implementation of robot systems. The study employed the robot platform Pepper, which was deployed with a view to understanding better multi-domain interventions with a robot supporting physical activation, cognitive training and social facilitation. We employed the robot in a group setting in a care facility over the course of 10 weeks and 20 sessions, observing how stakeholders, including residents and caregivers, appropriated, adapted to, and perceived the robot. We also conducted interviews with 11 residents and caregivers. Our results indicate that the residents were positively engaged in the training sessions that were moderated by the robot. The study revealed that such humanoid robots can work in a care home but that there is a moderating person needed, that is in control of the robot.},

keywords = {a-paper, elderly care, Ethics, Social robots, user studies},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{lehmannEinsatzfelderSozialenRobotik2019,

title = {Einsatzfelder der sozialen Robotik in der Pflege},

author = {Jasmin Lehmann and Felix Carros and David Unbehaun and Rainer Wieching and Jens Lüssem},

editor = {Christian Stoffers and Nicolas Krämer and Christian Heitmann},

url = {https://www.lehmanns.de/shop/medizin-pharmazie/48102343-9783947566754-digitale-transformation-im-krankenhaus},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

booktitle = {Digitale Transformation im Krankenhaus},

pages = {pp. 88–113},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{unbehaunCreativeCognitiveActivities2019,

title = {Creative and Cognitive Activities in Social Assistive Robots and Older Adults: Results from an Exploratory Field Study with Pepper},

author = {David Unbehaun and Konstantin Aal and Felix Carros and Rainer Wieching and Volker Wulf},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

booktitle = {Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work-Demos and Posters},

publisher = {European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{finkDeinEigenerMaschinen2019,

title = {Dein eigener (Maschinen) - Superheld. MERS – MRI Volume 2: Methodische, ethische, rechtliche und soziale Implikationen für die Mensch- Roboter-Interaktion in Alltagswelten},

author = {Vera Fink and Felix Carros and Andreas Bischof and Anne Wierling and Tobias Störzinger and Robert Herms and Maximilian Eibl},

url = {http://dl.gi.de/handle/20.500.12116/25158},

doi = {10.18420/muc2019-ws-262},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

urldate = {2021-11-08},

publisher = {Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.},

abstract = {In diesem Workshop werden die aktuellen Fragestellungen und Herausforderungen aus unterschiedlichen ELSI- Bereichen der Mensch-Roboter-Interaktion aufgeführt, diskutiert und analysiert. Diese Austauschplattform gründen die Projekte, die vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung unter dem Gesichtspunkt „Technik zum Menschen bringen“ unterstützt werden. Gegenstand der Förderung sind Forschung und Entwicklung-Vorhaben um Interaktionsstrategien der Roboter für Assistenzfunktionen zu entwickeln, die flexible und leistungsfähige Lösungen für eine optimale Interaktion von Mensch und Robotern anbieten. Als Austauschgegenstände dienen zum einen die Ergebnisse aus bereits durchgeführten Living Lab Workshops und zum anderen konzeptionelle Fragestellungen, die im Laufe der Projekte sich ergeben haben.},

note = {Accepted: 2019-09-05T00:59:25Z},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}