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Stay Human

Human-Robot Interaction focused research lab at UC Merced. We use humanoid robots, virtual reality, and fNIRS neuroimaging to study how people give trust to artificial intelligence, and what it costs when they give too much.

Our Research

Our Research Areas

Explore our diverse research initiatives focused on understanding human-AI interactions

Human-AI Interaction
Studying how humans interact with and trust AI systems in various contexts.
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Emotion
Investigating emotional responses and regulation in human-AI interactions.
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Social Connection
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Recent Publications

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Physical anthropomorphism (but not gender presentation) influences trust in household robots.
Published in 2025

Holbrook, C., Krishnamurthy, U., Maglio, P., & Wagner, A. R. (2025). Physical anthropomorphism (but not gender presentation) influences trust in household robots. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 3.

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Overtrust in AI recommendations about whether or not to kill: Evidence from two human-robot interaction studies.
Published in 2024

Holbrook, C., Holman, D., Clingo, J. & Wagner, A. R. (2024). Overtrust in AI recommendations about whether or not to kill: Evidence from two human-robot interaction studies. Scientific Reports, 14, 19751.

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Validation and evacuee modeling of virtual robot-guided emergency evacuation experiments.
Published in 2024

Yin, Y., Nayyar, M., Holman, D., Lucas, G., Holbrook, C., & Wagner, A. (2024, June 24). Validation and evacuee modeling of virtual robot-guided emergency evacuation experiments. PsyArXiv.

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Our Technology

Take a look at our state-of-the-art robots and equipment for our ongoing research

The Ameca humanoid robot, a grey articulated face and exposed mechanical torso, standing against a pale wall

Ameca

Expressive Humanoid Platform

Ameca's articulated face and gestures let us study how human-like expression shapes the trust people extend to a machine.

The RoboThespian humanoid robot, a white shell with a metallic face and blue cabling across the shoulders

RoboThespian

Humanoid Robot Research Platform

RoboThespian is a programmable humanoid robot used in our research to study how humans interact with and trust anthropomorphic AI systems during various scenarios.

The Bunker tracked ground robot carrying a rotating LiDAR unit and a stereo camera on its upper deck

Bunker

Autonomous Ground Vehicle

The Bunker autonomous ground vehicle allows us to simulate crisis response scenarios and study human trust in AI-powered emergency response systems.

The Unitree Go2 quadruped robot standing in the lab with a LiDAR sensor mounted on its back

Unitree Go2

Quadruped Robot Platform

Our Unitree Go2 quadruped robot enables research on human-AI interaction in dynamic environments where mobility and adaptability are critical factors.

An fNIRS neuroimaging cap used to record neural activity during experiments

fNIR Cap

Neural Monitoring Device

The fNIR Cap allows us to monitor neural activity during human-AI interactions, providing valuable insights into cognitive processes and trust formation.