Human-Robot Interaction

3 August – 14 August 2026:  Lecture weeks (on-site at Aalto University campus)

• Daily lectures in the mornings between 09 and 12 (Monday-Friday)
• Group project work and workshops
• Preparation: You will receive the documentation that we will follow during the course in advance. You will be asked to install the necessary environments on your laptop. The course teacher will send out detailed instructions and starting code.

Alongside the lectures, students have independent work, either in groups or individually. Students can coordinate with their teammates to complete these assignments outside of teaching hours.

The total workload of the course includes both contact lectures and the estimated amount of independent work. Some of the courses also have pre- or post-assignments included in the independent working hours.

-> Find the total course workload here

After completing the course, students will be able to:

Must know 

• Define common HRI terms (e.g., interaction, embodiment, communication modality) and list an example of each. 
   
• Classify at least two different robot task types (e.g., manipulation, navigation) and explain their relevance to HRI. 
   
• Describe the core capabilities and limitations of SO-101 + LeRobot and Reachy Mini and demonstrate basic use in simulation. 
   
• Formulate an HRI problem aligned with their interests and outline a corresponding study approach (1–2 paragraphs). 
   
• Implement, using provided building blocks, a simple robot behaviour in simulation and submit a short report summarising observations. 
   

Need to know

• Deploy and run their prototype on physical hardware and document at least two concrete differences between simulated and real execution. 
   
• Present their project (goal, design, implementation, observations) in a short oral or poster-style presentation. 
   

Nice to know

• Conduct a small informal user test (e.g., 1–3 peers) and summarise participant responses in written or visual form. 
   
• Reflect on project outcomes and propose at least one design improvement based on observations. 
   

The course assignments include:  

• Quizzes during lectures
• Group discussions
• Hands-on exercises to master the platforms
• Individual projects that apply the learned material, and are shaped according to the students’ personal interests
• Presentation at the end of the course

Week 1 focuses on foundational topics in HRI and basic technical skills. Students complete guided exercises to practise working in simulation environments, explore different robotic task types and embodiments, and implement simple behaviours using provided building blocks.
 
Week 2 builds on these foundations. Students formulate an HRI problem based on their interests, design an appropriate study or interaction approach, and implement a corresponding prototype. Work begins in simulation and is then transferred to the physical robots, allowing students to observe and document differences between simulated and real execution. The schedule for working with the robots will be agreed with the students in the first lecture, to ensure fair time allocation for everyone. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to describe key HRI concepts, compare different robot task types and embodiments, formulate an HRI problem of interest, and implement a simple interaction prototype in simulation. The students are also encouraged to transfer their prototype to hardware and present their results, gaining practical insight into how interaction strategies must adapt to real-world conditions. Students may optionally conduct a small informal user test with peers or on campus. At the end of the course, students will present their projects in front of the class, and will receive feedback from their peers, and more detailed personal feedback from the course instructor. 

Course workload

Preparation: Environment setup and pre-readings 4h
Contact hours 30h
Individual or team student work 20h
Total 54h (2 ECTS)

The course is graded as pass/fail.

Please note that the undergraduate courses offered by Aalto University Summer School can not be included in Aalto degree studies.

The course is suitable for bachelor's and master's students, as well as for anyone who is interested in working on their own robotic projects using open-source platforms.

Since the course includes a lot of hands-on implementation, basic Python programming skills are necessary. 

Participants must have completed a high school or vocational degree or equivalent by the time the course starts. However, they do not have to be a degree student at a university to participate in our courses.

Additionally, all summer school course students must be 18 years or older, as it is the legal age in Finland.

Alongside your CV, please include a motivation letter or video in your application. In your motivation letter or video, describe your motivation for taking this course. The recommended length for the motivation letter is 150-250 words, and 1-2 minutes for the video.

Tuition fees for Summer School courses

One course: 1270€ (incl. VAT 25,5%) 

• The course fee includes academic course sessions and assignments, an official digital Aalto University certificate and support from the Summer School team. The fee does not cover accommodation, daily meals, or transportation during the course
• Unfortunately, Aalto University Summer School does not offer scholarships for participants.

Social program fee

More information about the social program coming soon!

Learn about the Aalto University Summer School cancellation terms. You will receive the full terms before making the payment and confirming the course participation.

If you need a visa, we recommend applying by April 15th 2026.

• This is to ensure that we have enough time to process your application and that you have time to make the tuition fee payment, book a visa appointment and wait for the application to be processed.
• You can apply and be accepted to the courses after April 15th. In that case, we recommend that you pay at your earliest convenience so that we can deliver your invitation letter to you promptly.
• According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the processing time for a visa application is 15 days. However, the processing time may be longer if a more detailed application examination is required.