Research & community
Park Announces UH Seminar on Human-Centered AI and Healthy Aging
A University of Houston seminar announcement connects older adults' experiences with the design of AI and robotic systems for health-related activities.
Original LinkedIn post:
Published on ELARA:
Chorong Park announced an invited seminar at the University of Houston's Department of Computer Science in an October 15 update. Scheduled for October 16, the talk, "Human-Centered AI and Robotics for Health and Behavior Change: From Community Needs to System Development," would focus on how older adults' experiences can guide technology design. [1][2]
The planned discussion would draw on ELARA's community-engaged research, including a Houston study with 22 older adults interacting with companion robots and voice assistants. Park proposed examining how these systems might support health-related activities while preserving people's autonomy. [1][2]
That approach starts with people's routines and preferences, rather than assuming that an engaging robot will improve health. The seminar abstract connects those everyday experiences to questions about accessible interaction, adaptive feedback and user control, with health and well-being outcomes still to be evaluated. [2]
Park also planned to introduce student research opportunities linking human-computer interaction, AI and software engineering: identifying community needs, building working prototypes and evaluating them with intended users. [1][2]
Sources
Adapted from Chorong Park's LinkedIn post. The original post is a link-only share with no attached photos.