About the Institute
The Institute for Humane Robotics is an independent research and design institute focused on long-term human–robot interaction in domestic, caregiving, and child-facing contexts.
Our work bridges research, industry, and policy.
What We Do
IHR operates at the intersection of science, design, and governance — building the infrastructure that makes human-robot coexistence safe, intentional, and lasting.
Our work focuses on:
- Industry — Advisory and evaluation services for robotics companies entering domestic, healthcare, and public-facing markets. We help teams build robots people can actually live with.
- Research — Original and collaborative studies on psychosocial safety, relational trust, and cross-cultural human-robot interaction. Home to our IEEE P7027 standards work.
- Education — Curriculum, workshops, and institutional programming that build literacy around embodied AI — for engineers, designers, policymakers, and the public.
- Policy — Governance frameworks, regulatory alignment, and standards advocacy at the national and international level. We shape the rules before they're written without us.
- Media — Content, storytelling, and public engagement that makes the science accessible and the stakes legible — because this conversation belongs to everyone.
This is not speculative ethics.
It is infrastructure for systems being built right now.
Why This Matters
As robots move into human environments, technical performance alone will not determine success.
Cultural fit, social acceptance, and regulatory alignment will shape which systems scale - and which stall.
Early intervention is:
- Less costly than redesign
- User trust and long-term adoption
- Cross-market deployment viability
Our role is to support that intervention.
Core Team
Sara Filipčić
Founder & Executive Director
Entrepreneur with 8+ years building and advising startups across the US, Europe, and Australia. Expert on the impact of technology on child development and long-term human–machine interaction. Bridges research, industry, and policy to define responsible deployment strategies for embodied AI systems.
Roshni Lulla, PhD
Co-Founder & Head of Research
Dr. Roshni Lulla completed her PhD in Brain & Cognitive Sciences under Antonio Damasio and Jonas Kaplan at USC. Her research decodes the neural basis of empathy using neuroimaging, and her recent work demonstrates how frontier AI models adopt stable antisocial personas - bridging affective neuroscience and AI alignment to inform how machines should relate to humans.
Philip Cherner
Co-Founder & Technical Lead
MIT Media Lab engineer specializing in embodied AI, robotics, and human-centered autonomy. Brings deep expertise in AI systems design, safety architecture, and real-world deployment of autonomous systems
Who We Engage With
We engage with:
- Robotics companies and research labs
- Standards and policy bodies
- Academic and public-interest institutions
Engagements are selective and purpose-driven.
Begin with the framework
For teams, researchers, or institutions working on embodied AI and social robotics — sign up and we'll send the framework when it's ready.