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About

Irene Alcubilla Troughton is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), robotic art, and improvisational performance. Her work fundamentally challenges conventional approaches to social robotics by drawing on techniques from the performing arts to create more engaging, emergent, and playful human-robot interactions. In her most-cited paper, "Robotic Improvisers: Rule-Based Improvisation and Emergent Behaviour in HRI" (2022, 12 citations), she argues that improvisational methods can sustain rich social engagement beyond task-oriented metrics. Troughton critically interrogates the dominant "interiority paradigm" in social robotics—the assumption that robots must simulate internal emotional states—offering instead an alternative framework rooted in affective movement as seen in contemporary robotic art (2021, 3 citations). Her 2023 study on playful rule-based interactions further demonstrates that improvisation is not randomness but a structured, creative dialogue. Most recently, she explores spherical robots to promote physical activity at home (2025, 1 citation), expanding the design space beyond anthropomorphic forms. Troughton’s work is notable for bridging engineering, art, and performance theory, offering a radically human-centered vision for the future of social robotics.