Shared Autonomy and Sense of Agency

(SASA)

2025 IROS Half-day Workshop

October 24^th, 2025

14:00-18:00 (China Standard Time)

Abstract

Shared autonomy is revolutionizing Human-Robot interaction by seamlessly blending human intent with robot abilities. This paradigm holds the potential to enhance user performance and experience across various applications, from remote manipulation to assistive technologies, like prostheses. However, a critical challenge remains: how can we modulate robot autonomy to reduce user effort while preserving the user's sense of agency? This workshop seeks to address this question by providing an overview about the link between shared autonomy and the sense of agency, starting from neuroscientific foundations and covering various application fields that share the common aspect of controlling external elements (prosthetics, teleoperation, etc.).
To address this, the workshop aims to explore four key aspects:

Understanding sense of agency and embodiment: Which are the neuroscientific bases underlying the concepts of sense of agency, embodiment, and ownership?
Understanding shared autonomy: What is shared autonomy?
Insight into how shared autonomy affects agency: How does shared autonomy between humans and robotic agents influence the sense of agency?
Promoting sense of agency through the sensory feedback: How can communication channels be effectively leveraged to enhance situational awareness, reduce cognitive load, and create a more natural control experience?

Designing safe, efficient, and user-friendly human-machine control systems requires a deep understanding of how individuals experience agency and how it impacts their behavior. During the past years, various workshops at the main conferences in robotics have addressed topics such as sensory feedback and shared autonomy in Human-Robot interaction. This workshop brings a novel and multidisciplinary perspective by exploring these aspects from the viewpoint of the sense of agency. We invite researchers to engage in discussions on these topics, fostering a collaborative environment to advance the state of shared autonomy.

Organizers

Marco Controzzi

Associate Professor

Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies

Dylan Losey

Assistant Professor

Virginia Tech

Ahmed Shehata

Canada Research Chair

University of New Brunswick

Manuela Uliano

PhD Student

Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies

Silvia Fattorini

PhD Student

Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies

Schedule

Time	Topic	Speaker
14:00 - 14:10	Welcoming remarks
14:10 - 14:40	First talk + Q&A	Wen Wen
14:40 - 15:10	Second talk + Q&A	Sara Falcone
15:10 - 15:40	Third talk + Q&A	Freek Stulp
15:40 - 16:10	Coffee break and Poster session
16:10 - 16:40	Fourth talk + Q&A	Henny Admoni
16:40 - 17:10	Fifth talk + Q&A	Strahinja Dosen
17:10 - 17:50	Panel session
17:50 - 18:00	Closing remarks and Poster awards

Invited speakers

Five invited talks by leading experts in fields such as neuroscience and robotics will cover state-of-the-art topics related to the relationship between autonomy and agency in Human-Robot interaction. At the end of each talk, Q&A sessions will facilitate immediate discussion on the key points covered by the speakers.

Wen Wen Associate Professor University of Rikkyo

Talk title: "The Sense of Agency in Human-Robot Interaction: Perspectives and Insights from Cognitive Psychology"

Sara Falcone Assistant Professor Pace University

Talk title: "A Multidisciplinary Investigation to Unravel the Complexity of the Sense of Embodiment in Teleoperation"

Freek Stulp Head of Department of Cognitive Robotics German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Talk title: "Shared Control Templates for Assistive Robots"

Henny Admoni Associate Professor Carnegie Mellon University

Talk title: "The Sense of Agency in Assistive Robotics Using Shared Autonomy"

Strahinja Dosen Professor Aalborg University

Talk title: "Shared Control and Sensory Feedback in Bionic Limbs"

Panel session

After the five invited talks, a dedicated panel will encourage a broader and more in-depth exchange of ideas, driven by audience questions and interactions. In addition to the five invited speakers, additional researchers will take part in the panel session, enriching the discussion with their diverse perspectives and expertise:

Annette Hagengruber

Team leader

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Maggie Collier

PhD student

Carnegie Mellon University

Question box

Discussion and exchange of ideas will be actively encouraged throughout the workshop, both through Q&A sessions after each talk and during the final panel discussion. All participants are warmly invited to take part in the conversation by asking questions. If you already have a question or a topic related to the workshop themes that you’d like to discuss, feel free to write it below!