Josua Spisak

Universität Hamburg, Hamburg University of Technology

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Josua Spisak is a rising star in human-robot interaction, pioneering ways to make robots more intuitive, empathetic, and capable of learning from people. His research centers on explainable AI, robotic imitation learning, and perspective-taking—bridging the gap between complex machine learning models and natural human communication. In his influential work "What’s on Your Mind, NICO?" (2022, 6 citations), Spisak developed methods to help non-expert users understand a robot’s decision-making process, making AI transparency accessible beyond the lab. His "Neuro-Genetic Visuomotor Architecture for Robotic Grasping" (2020, 6 citations) introduced a novel hybrid approach combining neural networks with evolutionary algorithms, enabling more adaptive and robust object manipulation. More recently, Spisak’s "Diffusing in Someone Else’s Shoes: Robotic Perspective-Taking with Diffusion" (2024, 4 citations) leverages diffusion models to allow humanoid robots to mentally simulate actions from a human’s viewpoint, dramatically improving imitation learning. His work "Robotic Imitation of Human Actions" (2024, 3 citations) further advances this by enabling robots to extract both action sequences and underlying goals from demonstrations. With a total of 19 citations across his top papers, Spisak is establishing himself as a key innovator in creating socially aware, human-centric robotic systems.