Astrid Weiss
Assistant Prof. Dr.in phil. Mag.a phil.
About
Do we really perceive and react differently to Embodied Artificial Intelligence than to `any other' technology? With a background in Sociology and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), I study how humans interact with new technology. My general research interests are user-centered design and evaluation studies for Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) with a focus on in-the-wild studies and controlled experiments. I am especially interested in the impact technology has on our everyday life and what makes people accept or reject technology. For more details check my personal website.
I hold a master's degree in sociology, a PhD in social sciences and Human-Computer Interaction, and a venia docendi in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Salzburg. During my studies I specialized on methodologies of empirical social research and applied statistics. In my PhD thesis, I developed an evaluation framework that supports user-centered assessment of HRI scenarios. In my habilitation I argue for more epistemological diversity in HRI research, going beyond the dominant positivist approaches stemming from experimental psychology and robotics.
I publish in conferences such as HRI, RO-MAN, and ICSR and journals such as International Journal of Social Robotics, Autonomous Robots, and the Journal of HRI. I am regularly member of Program and Organizing Committees related to HRI research.
Role
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Assistant Professor
Human Computer Interaction, E193-05
Courses
2024W
- Bachelor thesis informatics and business informatics / 193.070 / PR
- Human Robot Interaction / 193.085 / VU
- Scientific Research and Writing / 193.052 / SE
- Seminar Media and Human-Centered Computing / 193.039 / SE
2025S
- Project in Medical Informatics / 193.025 / PR
- Project Media and Human-Centered Computing 1 / 193.021 / PR
- Project Media and Human-Centered Computing 2 / 193.022 / PR
Projects
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Blocked Under Ground
2023 / CTS - Center for Technology & Society -
Transparenz und Vertrauen - Ja, aber wie?
2023 / Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF) -
Caring Robots // Robotic Care
2022 – 2027 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Publications: 150320 / 191147 / 193734 / 198949 / 199739 / 101848 -
MAXimizeMe - XXLMontage für alle
2021 – 2023 / Arbeiterkammer Vienna
Publication: 192821 -
Exploring Long-Term Human-Robot Interaction
2018 – 2022 / Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Publications
2024
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What we learn on the streets: situated human-robot Interactions from an industry perspective
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Dobrosovestnova, A., & Weiss, A. (2024). What we learn on the streets: situated human-robot Interactions from an industry perspective. In HRI ’24: Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (pp. 407–411). https://doi.org/10.1145/3610978.3640753
Download: OA PDF (889 KB)
Project: Integrative Robot Personality Research (2021–2024) -
Towards an Integrative Framework for Robot Personality Research
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Dobrosovestnova, A., Reinboth, T., & Weiss, A. (2024). Towards an Integrative Framework for Robot Personality Research. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 13(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3640010
Project: Integrative Robot Personality Research (2021–2024)
2023
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How to Bring Diversity into Industry: Industrial Experiences in Public Transport Repair and Maintenance
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Vrecar, R., Steinlechner, M., Rupprecht, P., Wedral, A., Negele, M., Palucki, M., Ratzer, B., & Weiss, A. (2023). How to Bring Diversity into Industry: Industrial Experiences in Public Transport Repair and Maintenance. In Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2023 : 19th IFIP TC13 International Conference, York, UK, August 28 – September 1, 2023, Proceedings, Part IV (pp. 267–272). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42293-5_20
Project: MAXimizeMe (2021–2023) - Spatial Augmented Reality in the Factory: Can In-Situ Projections Be Used to Communicate Dangers and Health Risks? / Wedral, A., Vrecar, R., Ebenhofer, G., Pönitz, T., Wührer, P. H., Weiss, A., & Stübl, G. (2023). Spatial Augmented Reality in the Factory: Can In-Situ Projections Be Used to Communicate Dangers and Health Risks? In J. Abdelnour Nocera, H. Petrie, M. Winckler, M. Larusdottir, & A. Piccinno (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2023 : 19th IFIP TC13 International Conference, York, UK, August 28 – September 1, 2023, Proceedings, Part II (pp. 574–594). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42283-6_31
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Borrowing, Poking and Entangling. In Search of Shared Spaces Between Science and Technology Studies and Human-Robot Interaction
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Dobrosovestnova, A., de Pagter, J., & Weiss, A. (2023). Borrowing, Poking and Entangling. In Search of Shared Spaces Between Science and Technology Studies and Human-Robot Interaction. In HRI ’23 : Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (pp. 21–29). https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580033
Download: PDF (940 KB)
Projects: Caring Robots // Robotic Care (2022–2027) / Integrative Robot Personality Research (2021–2024) -
Bridging the Gap: Using a Game-based Approach to Raise Lay People's Awareness About Care Robots
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Brunnmayr, K., & Weiss, A. (2023, March). Bridging the Gap: Using a Game-based Approach to Raise Lay People’s Awareness About Care Robots [Poster Presentation]. ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction 2023, Stockholm, Sweden. https://doi.org/10.1145/3568294.3580125
Project: Caring Robots // Robotic Care (2022–2027) - Robotic gaze and human views: A systematic exploration of robotic gaze aversion and its effects on human behaviors and attitudes / Koller, M., Weiss, A., Hirschmanner, M., & Vincze, M. (2023). Robotic gaze and human views: A systematic exploration of robotic gaze aversion and its effects on human behaviors and attitudes. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 10, Article 1062714. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1062714
- It’s Only a Bot! How Adversarial Chatbots can be a Vehicle to Teach Responsible AI / Weiss, A., Vrecar, R., Zamiechowska, J., & Purgathofer, P. (2023). It’s Only a Bot! How Adversarial Chatbots can be a Vehicle to Teach Responsible AI. In R. Schmidpeter & R. Altenburger (Eds.), Responsible Artificial Intelligence – Challenges for Sustainable Management (pp. 235–250). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09245-9_12
2022
- With a Little Help of Humans. An Exploratory Study of Delivery Robots Stuck in Snow / Dobrosovestnova, A., Schwaninger, I., & Weiss, A. (2022). With a Little Help of Humans. An Exploratory Study of Delivery Robots Stuck in Snow. In 2022 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) (pp. 1023–1029). https://doi.org/10.1109/RO-MAN53752.2022.9900588
- Video connecting families and social robots: from ideas to practices putting technology to work / Schwaninger, I., Carros, F., Weiss, A., Wulf, V., & Fitzpatrick, G. (2022). Video connecting families and social robots: from ideas to practices putting technology to work. Universal Access in the Information Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-022-00901-y
- Tolerating Untrustworthy Robots: Studying Human Vulnerability Experience within a Privacy Scenario for Trust in Robots / Hannibal, G., Dobrosovestnova, A., & Weiss, A. (2022). Tolerating Untrustworthy Robots: Studying Human Vulnerability Experience within a Privacy Scenario for Trust in Robots. In Proceedings of 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) (pp. 821–828). https://doi.org/10.1109/RO-MAN53752.2022.9900830
2021
- Using the Design of Adversarial Chatbots as a Means to Expose Computer Science Students to the Importance of Ethics and Responsible Design of AI Technologies / Weiss, A., Vrecar, R., Zamiechowska, J., & Purgathofer, P. (2021). Using the Design of Adversarial Chatbots as a Means to Expose Computer Science Students to the Importance of Ethics and Responsible Design of AI Technologies. In Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 (pp. 331–339). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85613-7_24
- Merely a Conventional ‘Diffusion’ Problem? On the Adoption Process of Anki Vector / Weiss, A., Pillinger, A., & Tsiourti, C. (2021). Merely a Conventional ‘Diffusion’ Problem? On the Adoption Process of Anki Vector. In 2021 30th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). 30th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), Vancouver, Canada. https://doi.org/10.1109/ro-man50785.2021.9515369
- "The robot may not notice my discomfort" – Examining the Experience of Vulnerability for Trust in Human-Robot Interaction / Hannibal, G., Weiss, A., & Vicky, C. (2021). “The robot may not notice my discomfort” – Examining the Experience of Vulnerability for Trust in Human-Robot Interaction. In 2021 30th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). 30th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), Vancouver, Canada. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ro-man50785.2021.9515513
- Es ist Zeit für bessere Ideen: Ein Aufruf zu mehr Partizipation in der Gestaltung sozialer Serviceroboter / Weiss, A. (2021). Es ist Zeit für bessere Ideen: Ein Aufruf zu mehr Partizipation in der Gestaltung sozialer Serviceroboter. In In digitaler Gesellschaft: Neukonfigurationen zwischen Robotern, Algorithmen und Usern (pp. 99–132). Transcript. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/30697
- Mein neuer Teamkollege ist ein Roboter! Wie soziale Roboter die Zukunft der Arbeit verändern können / Koeszegi, S. T., & Weiss, A. (2021). Mein neuer Teamkollege ist ein Roboter! Wie soziale Roboter die Zukunft der Arbeit verändern können. In Management-Reihe Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 279–303). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63223-9_15
- Robots beyond Science Fiction: Mutual Learning in Human-Robot Interaction on the Way to Participatory Approaches / Weiss, A. (2021). Robots beyond Science Fiction: Mutual Learning in Human-Robot Interaction on the Way to Participatory Approaches. AI & Society, 37(2), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-021-01209-w
- What Do You Mean by 'Trust'? Establishing Shared Meaning in Interdisciplinary Design for Assistive Technology / Schwaninger, I., Güldenpfennig, F., Weiss, A., & Fitzpatrick, G. (2021). What Do You Mean by “Trust”? Establishing Shared Meaning in Interdisciplinary Design for Assistive Technology. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13(8), 1879–1897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00742-w
- Cobots in Industry 4.0: A Roadmap for Future Practice Studies on Human-Robot Collaboration / Weiss, A., Wortmeier, A.-K., & Kubicek, B. (2021). Cobots in Industry 4.0: A Roadmap for Future Practice Studies on Human-Robot Collaboration. IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 51(4), 335–345. https://doi.org/10.1109/thms.2021.3092684
2020
- On the Intention to Use the Pepper Robot as Communication Channel in a Business Context / Schmidbauer, C., Umele, M., Zigart, T., Weiss, A., & Schlund, S. (2020). On the Intention to Use the Pepper Robot as Communication Channel in a Business Context. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction. HAI ’20: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction, Online, United States of America (the). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3406499.3415062
- Inconsequential Appearances / Weiss, A., & Pillinger, A. (2020). Inconsequential Appearances. In Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Online, Unknown. https://doi.org/10.1145/3334480.3382793
- Was Vector a Companion during Shutdown? / Tsiourti, C., Pillinger, A., & Weiss, A. (2020). Was Vector a Companion during Shutdown? In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction. 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI2020), Online, Unknown. https://doi.org/10.1145/3406499.3418767
- Taxonomy of Trust-Relevant Failures and Mitigation Strategies / Tolmeijer, S., Weiss, A., Hanheide, M., Lindner, F., Powers, T. M., Dixon, C., & Tielman, M. L. (2020). Taxonomy of Trust-Relevant Failures and Mitigation Strategies. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the). https://doi.org/10.1145/3319502.3374793
- Wenn Menschen und Roboter in Interaktion treten - Beispielhafte Problemstellungen und Anwendungsgebiete eines transdisziplin¨aren Forschungsfeldes / Weiss, A. (2020). Wenn Menschen und Roboter in Interaktion treten - Beispielhafte Problemstellungen und Anwendungsgebiete eines transdisziplin¨aren Forschungsfeldes. In Mensch und Maschine (pp. 31–56). Blätter für Technikgeschichte (BfTG). http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/30698
- Integrative Social Robotics Hands-on / Fischer, K., Seibt, J., Rodogno, R., Rasmussen, M., Weiss, A., Bodenhagen, L., Juel, W., & Krüger, N. (2020). Integrative Social Robotics Hands-on. Interaction Studies: Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems, 21(1), 145–185. https://doi.org/10.1075/is.18058.fis
- Envisioning social robotics: Current challenges and new interdisciplinary methodologies / Hannibal, G., & Weiss, A. (2020). Envisioning social robotics: Current challenges and new interdisciplinary methodologies. Interaction Studies: Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems, 21(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1075/is.00004.int
2019
- Qualities of Trust: Caputuring Aspects beyond System Reliability / Schwaninger, I., Weiss, A., & Frauenberger, C. (2019). Qualities of Trust: Caputuring Aspects beyond System Reliability. The 28th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication, New Delhi, India. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/86954
- "You Are Doing so Great!" - The Effect of a Robot's Interaction Style on Self-Efficacy in HRI / Zafari, S., Schwaninger, I., Hirschmanner, M., Schmidbauer, C., Weiss, A., & Koeszegi, S. T. (2019). “You Are Doing so Great!” - The Effect of a Robot’s Interaction Style on Self-Efficacy in HRI. In Proceeding of Robot and Human Communication (p. 7). IEEE. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/76826
- Exploring Trust in Human-Agent Collaboration / Schwaninger, I., Fitzpatrick, G., & Weiss, A. (2019). Exploring Trust in Human-Agent Collaboration. In Proceedings of 17th European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work. The 17th European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Salzburg, Austria. European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET). https://doi.org/10.18420/ecscw2019_ep08
- Ethics and trust: Principles, verification and validation (dagstuhl seminar 19171) / Fischer, M., List, C., Slavkovik, M., & Weiss, A. (2019). Ethics and trust: Principles, verification and validation (dagstuhl seminar 19171). Dagstuhl Reports, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.4230/DagRep.9.4.59
2018
- What makes people accept or reject companion robots? / Weiss, A., & Hannibal, G. (2018). What makes people accept or reject companion robots? In Proceedings of the 11th PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments Conference. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3197768.3203177
2016
- Hobbit, a care robot supporting independent living at home: First prototype and lessons learned / Fischinger, D., Einramhof, P., Papoutsakis, K., Wohlkinger, W., Mayer, P., Panek, P., Hofmann, S., Koertner, T., Weiss, A., Argyros, A., & Vincze, M. (2016). Hobbit, a care robot supporting independent living at home: First prototype and lessons learned. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 75, 60–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2014.09.029
2014
- Hobbit, a care robot supporting independent living at home: First prototype and lessons learned / Fischinger, D., Einramhof, P., Papoutsakis, K., Wohlkinger, W., Mayer, P., Panek, P., Hofmann, S., Körtner, T., Weiss, A., Argyros, A., & Vincze, M. (2014). Hobbit, a care robot supporting independent living at home: First prototype and lessons learned. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, DOI: 10.1016/J.ROBOT.2014.09.029(DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2014.09.029). http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/157973
- Roboter-Unterstützung zu Hause - Das Projekt HOBBIT / Zagler, W., Mayer, P., Panek, P., Vincze, M., Weiss, A., Bajones, M., Puente, P., Huber, A., Lammer, L., & Fischinger, D. (2014). Roboter-Unterstützung zu Hause - Das Projekt HOBBIT. In Wohnen - Pflege - Teilhabe “Besser leben durch Technik.” 7. Deutscher AAL-Kongress, Berlin, EU. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/55089
- Don't bother me / Weiss, A., Vincze, M., Panek, P., & Mayer, P. (2014). Don’t bother me. In Proceedings of the 2014 ACM/IEEE international conference on Human-robot interaction. HRI14 9th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Bielefeld, EU. https://doi.org/10.1145/2559636.2563689
- Towards a Robot for Supporting Older People to Stay Longer Inde-pendent at Home / Vincze, M., Zagler, W., Lammer, L., Weiss, A., Huber, A., Fischinger, D., Koertner, T., Schmid, A., & Gisinger, C. (2014). Towards a Robot for Supporting Older People to Stay Longer Inde-pendent at Home. In ISR 2014. Joint 45th International Symposium on Robotics, München, EU. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/74287
- Don't Bother Me: Users' Reactions to Different Robot Disturbing Behaviors / Weiss, A., Vincze, M., Panek, P., & Mayer, P. (2014). Don’t Bother Me: Users’ Reactions to Different Robot Disturbing Behaviors. In Proceedings of the 9th ACM/IEEE international conference on Human-Robot Interaction, IEEE Press. 9th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI 2014), Bielefeld, EU. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/74027
2013
- Hobbit - The Mutual Care Robot / Fischinger, D., Einramhof, P., Wohlkinger, W., Papoutsakis, K., Mayer, P., Panek, P., Koertner, T., Hoffmann, S., Argyros, A., Vincze, M., Gisinger, C., & Weiss, A. (2013). Hobbit - The Mutual Care Robot. In Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2013) (p. 6). http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/73759
Supervisions
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Enhancing Support Ecosystems and Assistive Technologies for Family Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia in Austria: A Comprehensive Analysis & Improvement Suggestions
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Schweitzer, V. (2024). Enhancing Support Ecosystems and Assistive Technologies for Family Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia in Austria: A Comprehensive Analysis & Improvement Suggestions [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2024.122064
Download: PDF (4.81 MB) -
On the need of new roles: Using design fictions to develop novel use cases for care robots
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Brunnmayr, K. (2023). On the need of new roles: Using design fictions to develop novel use cases for care robots [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2023.108880
Download: PDF (2.99 MB) -
Reactions to and interactions with a non-verbal robot A case study on people’s interpretation of and perception of interacting with a non-humanoid and non-verbal robot
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Munteanu-Calen, A. (2023). Reactions to and interactions with a non-verbal robot A case study on people’s interpretation of and perception of interacting with a non-humanoid and non-verbal robot [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2023.107249
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Employing social robots in a privacy sensitive context: A case study on an open-source diary assistant
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Sabie, A.-C. (2023). Employing social robots in a privacy sensitive context: A case study on an open-source diary assistant [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2023.108026
Downloads: PDF (1.04 MB) / ZIP (7.59 KB) / ZIP (597 KB) -
Cognitive load of pervasive technology: How can it be determined?
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Wedral, A. (2023). Cognitive load of pervasive technology: How can it be determined? [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2023.107253
Download: PDF (1.61 MB) -
The Trust-Vulnerability Relation - A Theory-driven and Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Interpersonal Trust in Human-Robot Interaction
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Hannibal, G. (2023). The Trust-Vulnerability Relation - A Theory-driven and Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Interpersonal Trust in Human-Robot Interaction [Dissertation, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2023.108560
Download: PDF (5 MB) -
Design considerations for human-robot interaction in older adults' living spaces
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Schwaninger, I. (2022). Design considerations for human-robot interaction in older adults’ living spaces [Dissertation, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2022.107686
Download: PDF (2.97 MB) -
Increasing user satisfaction by detecting emotions in German-language human-robot conversations with Q.bo One
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Vrecar, R. (2022). Increasing user satisfaction by detecting emotions in German-language human-robot conversations with Q.bo One [Diploma Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2022.89483
Download: PDF (2.43 MB)
Awards
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Junge Akademie
2018 / Mitgliedschaft / Austria -
SharedSpace
2018 / Richter-Programm / Austria -
Vision4HRC
2013 / Firnberg-Programm / Austria -
enlisted among the 25 women you need to know in robotics
2013 / robohub.org / USA
And more…
Soon, this page will include additional information such as reference projects, activities as journal reviewer and editor, memberships in councils and committees, and other research activities.
Until then, please visit Astrid Weiss’ research profile in TISS .