Johan Bos

About

Johan Bos is a computational linguist whose research sits at the compelling intersection of natural language processing and robotics. He has made significant contributions to the challenge of enabling humans to communicate with robots using everyday spoken and written language — a problem with profound implications for the future of domestic and service robotics. Bos's most influential work, "Training Personal Robots Using Natural Language Instruction" (2001, 94 citations), established an early and ambitious vision: allowing non-expert users to program robots simply by talking to them. This thread runs throughout his career, from his development of the Godot mobile robot platform (59 citations) — a testbed for integrating spoken dialogue systems with real-world navigation — to his work on converting natural language route instructions into executable robot procedures. His 2007 paper on applying automated deduction to natural language understanding reflects a deeper theoretical interest in formal semantics underpinning these practical systems. More recently, Bos has explored supervised semantic parsing using Combinatory Categorial Grammar, demonstrating that structured learning can meaningfully improve robotic spatial reasoning. With over 350 combined citations across his core papers, his work has helped lay the groundwork for intuitive, language-driven human-robot interaction.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Training personal robots using natural language instruction

   94 citations · 2001
2. 2
   Talking to Godot: dialogue with a mobile robot

   59 citations · 2003
3. 3
   Meaningful conversation with a mobile robot

   47 citations · 2003
4. 4
   Training personal robots using natural language instruction

   42 citations · 2001
5. 5
   A spoken language interface with a mobile robot

   39 citations · 2007
6. 6
   Converting natural language route instructions into robot executable procedures

   34 citations · 2003
7. 7
   Applying automated deduction to natural language understanding

   21 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Using verbal instructions for route learning: Instruction Analysis

   14 citations · 2001
9. 9
   Meaningful conversation with mobile robots

   6 citations · 2006
10. 10
    RoBox: CCG with Structured Perceptron for Supervised Semantic Parsing of Robotic Spatial Commands

    3 citations · 2014

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links