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About

Claire Liang is a roboticist whose research lies at the intersection of human-robot interaction, social navigation, and embodied communication. Her work explores how robots can operate intelligently in human spaces by leveraging the same cues people use—such as signage and social context—rather than relying solely on pre-built maps or global positioning. In her highly cited paper “Implicit Communication in a Joint Action” (69 citations), Liang introduced the idea that a robot’s movements carry both functional and communicative meaning, a foundational insight for designing robots that collaborate naturally with humans. She has since pushed this vision into real-world settings: in “No Map, No Problem,” she demonstrated how robots can navigate airports by reading signs designed for people, and in “Lessons From a Robot Asking for Directions In-the-wild,” she conducted a field study showing how robots can interact with strangers to find their way. Her work on homotopy-driven exploration further extends these ideas into unknown human-made environments. Liang’s research is notable for its human-centered approach, blending theoretical formalism with compelling in-the-wild experiments that challenge assumptions about how robots should perceive and move through the world.