Chirag Merchant

Papers

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About

Chirag Merchant investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence and human-robot interaction, focusing on how intelligent agents can simulate and enhance collaborative dynamics between humans and machines. His work on "Intelligent Agents for Virtual Simulation of Human-Robot Interaction" (2015, 11 citations) provides foundational frameworks for modeling realistic human-robot encounters in virtual environments, enabling safer and more efficient system design. Merchant further advances this field by exploring trust dynamics in human-agent relationships, as demonstrated in his study "The Dynamics of Human-Agent Trust with POMDP-Generated Explanations" (2017, 6 citations). Here, he introduces a novel approach using Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes to generate explanations that foster calibrated trust between users and autonomous systems. By addressing both simulation fidelity and trust calibration, Merchant’s research offers critical insights for developing transparent, reliable AI partners in applications ranging from manufacturing to healthcare. His work stands out for bridging computational modeling with psychological principles, laying groundwork for more intuitive and trustworthy human-robot collaboration.