Ronald Cumbal
I'm currently a postdoc researcher at the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University. I obtained my PhD at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and MSc at TU Delft.
My research focuses on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and applied Machine Learning (ML), with a particular interest in designing embodied agents that support meaningful and engaging interactions. I use mixed-methods approaches to explore how conversational robots operate within group settings and how they can best support human communication. I am passionate about bridging technical innovation, user-centered design, and real-world deployment to create human-aware technologies.
Selected Work
Visual Reasoning Models for Social Human-Robot Interactions
ICRA 2026 [In Review]
Visualizing Confidence in Delivery Robots: Insights from Two Online Studies
EA CHI 2025 [doi]
Robot Gaze and Backchannels for Balancing Group Participation in Groups with Different Skill Levels
Quick Highlights
Lexical Alignment Through Play (2022)
Social navigation with Pepper (2017)
HRI Pioneers (2022)
Recent Updates
- 2025 August I volunteered with the Mujeres de Frente collective to lead beginner robotic lessons during their summer school. We built playful simple machines with the children of mothers who are part of the collective's educational program. It was a fun experience that I hope will take place again next year.
