Laboratorio di Robotica per le Scienze Cognitive e Sociali

Technology, Social Robots and Digital Identities

As digital technologies, AI systems and social robots become increasingly present in everyday life, education and professional settings, new questions emerge:

how are these technologies perceived, interpreted and accepted? How do they shape identities, participation and social relations?

On 26 June 2026, the RobotiCSS Lab and the CAPTED Permanent Seminar will host:

Rethinking Technology and the Acceptance of Social Robots: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Identity and Education

The seminar will bring together researchers from Human-Robot Interaction, education, social psychology, philosophy of science, communication studies and digital media research to discuss the sociocultural and educational implications of the digital transition.

Speakers and contributors

• Irene van Driel – Amsterdam School of Communication Research – ASCoR, University of Amsterdam
• Álex Barco Martelo – Facultad de Educación y Deporte – Tecnologías, Universidad de Deusto
• Edoardo Datteri – University of Milano-Bicocca / RobotiCSS Lab
• Leonardo Lapomarda – University of Milano-Bicocca / RobotiCSS Lab
• Davide Cino – University of Milano-Bicocca
• CAPTED-Next Digital Identities research group – University of Milano-Bicocca: Sonia Bonatti, Pier Daniel Cornacchia, Andrea Di Gallo, Monica Facciocchi, Leonardo Lapomarda, Chiara Menduni, Giulia Sironi and Maddalena Sottocorno

Topics include:
• Social robot acceptance
• Digital identities and social participation
• Youth participation and co-design
• STEM education and AI literacy
• Digital parenting
• Technologies in educational and social services

26 June 2026 | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
University of Milano-Bicocca – U6 Agorà, Seminar Room
Online participation available through the link in the flyer

We look forward to seeing you there!

Save the date

On 26 June 2026, the seminar

Rethinking Technology and Social Robot Acceptance
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Identity, Education and Digital Transition

will take place at the University of Milano-Bicocca.

The seminar aims to foster an interdisciplinary reflection on the acceptance of technologies and social robots, with particular attention to identity, education, and the sociocultural implications of the digital transition.

International speakers:
Irene van Driel (University of Amsterdam)
Álex Barco Martelo (Universidad de Deusto)

University of Milano-Bicocca
Department of Human Sciences for Education “Riccardo Massa”
Seminar Room, 4th floor
9:30–13:30

CAPTED Permanent Seminar
In collaboration with the PhD Programme in Education in Contemporary Society (ESC)

More information and full programme coming soon. Stay tuned!

One of the questions addressed by Cecilia Roselli and Leonardo Lapomarda at the RobotiCSS Lab is how culture shapes anthropomorphism and acceptance of robots. While most studies implicitly adopt a geographical conception of culture, in this Scientific Report study we opted for non-geographical, individual indicators to analyse cultural profiles. Here we also use implicit tests (the IAT and Cyberball). As expected, different tests produce different outcomes, and a great deal of work would be required to explain this lack of convergence. Perhaps it is time to shift from studying the effects to studying the underlying mechanisms: we are gearing up for this difficult challenge!

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-44312-y

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca

Culture and anthropomorphism towards robots in middle school students: evidence from human–robot interaction - Scientific Reports Individual differences play a fundamental role in shaping people’s attitudes towards robots. Among them, culture is one of the most deeply ingrained in individuals throughout their growth. Thus, given the crucial role of culture in shaping individuals’ development, the present study investigated...

The poster session at , held this morning was a great success!
Researchers from across disciplines had the opportunity to present their work, exchange ideas, and engage in vibrant discussion about child-robot interaction

This morning, at the International Conference on Child-Robot Interaction , the keynote speaker Joffrey Becker of the Ecole nationale supérieure de l’Electronique et de ses Applications delivered his opening presentation, which was titled ‘Adults in the Loop: Robot Mediation and Child-Robot Interaction’.

This afternoon, at the International Conference on Child-Robot Interaction , Andrea Blasco of the European Commission delivered one of the day’s invited keynote presentations, titled “Generative AI in Education: Behavioral Insights for Effective Governance”

The International Conference on Child-Robot Interaction officially started this morning. The opening session featured the invited speaker Shaun Gallagher from the University of Memphis, who delivered a keynote titled “Robodiment.”