Understanding Social Appropriateness Perceptions in Secondary Users of Domestic Robots
Companion Proceedings of the 21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI Companion 2026)
Hello, I'm Rahat.
I'm a human–robot interaction researcher interested in the different ways people experience robots. What feels intuitive, helpful, or socially appropriate to one person may feel unexpected or uncomfortable to another.
My work examines those differences and asks what they can teach us about designing robotic systems that respond more thoughtfully to the people around them.
Selected research
My work
Research outputs
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications, manuscripts, and research contributions are maintained in the complete bibliography.
Roboethics for Everyone — A Hands-on Teaching Module for K-12 and Beyond
Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA-ACEG)
Perspectives on Robotic Systems for the Visually Impaired
ACM/IEEE HRI Companion 2024
We Can Do Better! An Initial Survey Highlighting an Opportunity for More HRI Work on Loneliness
ACM/IEEE HRI Companion 2021
Robot Pets for Everyone: The Untapped Potential for Domestic Social Robots
RO-MAN 2020 Workshop on Social Human-Robot Interaction of Human-Care Service Robots · Workshop contribution
Domestic Robots for Individuals Living with Loneliness: A Long-Term In-Home Interaction Study Design
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI 2020)
Would the Robot Cheapen Your Croissant? How Robots Impact Brand, Service and Quality Perception
35th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2026)
MoFASA: Social-Appropriateness-Based Analysis Framework for Human-Robot Interaction
ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (THRI)
When Similar Behaviors Mean Different Things: Behavioral and Interpretive Diversity in In-the-Wild HRI
Submitted to CHI 2027
Deployment Over Design: How In-Person Initial Meetings Influence Later Telepresence-Robot-Mediated Collaboration
Submitted to HRI 2027
* Francesca Perillo and Rahatul Amin Ananto contributed equally.
MoFASA Tools — Practitioner-Driven HRI Analysis Tool Development
Working manuscript title
Can Robots Help with Loneliness? An Exploration of Social Robot Adoption by Lonely Individuals
Master of Science thesis · University of Manitoba
Curriculum vitae
Experience & background.
Research, robotics, and software development — from understanding how people interact with technology to building and evaluating robotic systems.
Current position
PhD Researcher
McGill University
PhD — Electrical and Computer Engineering
PhD Researcher · McGill University · Montréal, Canada
Research focus: Human–Robot Interaction
Human–Robot Interaction research at the RAISE Lab, supervised by Dr. AJung Moon.
- In-the-wild robotic deployments
- Controlled human-subject studies
- Behavioral diversity and social appropriateness
- Telepresence robotics
- Empirical data analysis
- Research framework development
- Research software and tools
MSc — Computer Science
Graduate Research Assistant · University of Manitoba · Winnipeg, Canada
Research focus: Domestic social robots and loneliness
Human–Robot Interaction research supervised by Dr. James E. Young.
- Long-term in-home social-robot studies
- Human-subject research
- Domestic robot adoption and loneliness
- Study design and deployment
- Interviews and qualitative analysis
BSc — Computer Science
Undergraduate Robotics Research · BRAC University · Dhaka, Bangladesh
Research focus: Underwater robotics and software engineering
Undergraduate robotics research supervised by Dr. Amitabha Chakrabarty.
- Autonomous underwater robotics
- Robotic system development
- Competition-oriented robotics
Associate Software Engineer, Quality Assurance
THERAP Bangladesh Ltd. · Bangladesh
Junior QA Engineer
Sourcetop Inc. · Dhaka, Bangladesh
Research & Methods
Human–Robot Interaction · Human-subject research · Experimental design · In-the-wild robot deployment · Mixed-methods research · Behavioral observation · Qualitative coding · Statistical analysis · Mixed-effects modeling · Inter-rater reliability
Robotics
ROS2 · SLAM · Autonomous navigation · Telepresence robotics · Robot prototyping
Software & AI
Python · JavaScript / TypeScript · React · Electron · SQLite · Git · Ollama · Local LLM integration · Research data pipelines · LLM-assisted analysis tools
Administrative Teaching Assistant, ECSE211 Design Principles and Methods
Head Teaching Assistant, ECSE211 Design Principles and Methods
Teaching Assistant, ECSE211 Design Principles and Methods
Undergraduate Capstone Project Supervisor
Roboethics workshops and educational activities
Vadasz Scholar / McGill Engineering Doctoral Award
McGill University
Computer Science Entrance Award
University of Manitoba
Bangladesh–Sweden Trust Fund Travel Scholarship
Bangladesh–Sweden Trust Fund
Vice Chancellor's List
BRAC University
Dean's List
BRAC University
Academic peer review — HRI, HAI, THRI, and JRIE
About
My journey
Background
I began working with robots as an undergraduate at BRAC University, where my focus was on building autonomous systems. That work included underwater robotics: developing systems that had to sense, decide, and act in a demanding physical environment.
During my MSc at the University of Manitoba, my attention shifted toward the people living with robotic systems. I studied social robotic pets and loneliness, including how people understood, adopted, and experienced robots over time in their homes.
Now, as a PhD researcher at McGill University, I investigate behavioral diversity, social appropriateness, and human experiences with robots. My work still draws on system building, but the central questions are about people: how experiences differ, what those differences mean, and how HRI research can account for them without reducing everyone to an average user.
Life outside research
The people closest to me and the moments I notice through a camera keep me grounded. Family gives me a sense of home, while photography gives me a reason to slow down, pay attention, and preserve the details that might otherwise pass by.
Family
Through my lens
Contact
Let's talk.
Whether it's about human–robot interaction, a potential research collaboration, or an interesting idea, I'd be happy to connect.