MOME Robotics studio / Reflective Robotics | International Guest Lecturer at MOME Robotics Studio: Human–Robot Interaction Intensive with David Yann Robert (Boston Dynamics)
An intensive studio-based Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) course led by David Yann Robert (Boston Dynamics), exploring embodied design, robot behavior, interaction concepts, and lightweight prototyping.
Human–Robot Interaction, HRI course, David Yann Robert, embodied interaction design, robotics design course, human-centered robotics, embodied AI, Boston Dynamics design, MIT Media Lab HRI, robot behavior design, studio-based robotics course, interaction design robotics, experimental robotics education
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Renata Dezso 14 February 2026 Education/MOME Students/MOME_Workshop/NEWS

International Guest Lecturer at MOME Robotics Studio:

 David Yann Robert (Boston Dynamics & Animated Matter)

From February 9–13, MOME Robotics Studio and MOME IXD hosted an intensive program on Human–Robot Interaction with David Yann Robert.

David, Director of Human–Robot Interaction Design at Boston Dynamics, brings a uniquely layered background to robotics. With roots in animation, performance, sound, and artistic research,  and later work at the MIT Media Lab, he approaches robots not simply as machines, but as embodied agents that communicate through movement, timing, character, and presence.

During the week, David Robert and Renáta Dezső co-taught the studio in a collaborative, hands-on format. Working closely with students from the Interaction Design, Industrial Design, Media Design, and Object Making programs, they explored contemporary Human–Robot Interaction practice through embodied experimentation and critical design inquiry. David anchored the course in current industry-driven HRI design, while the teaching remained connected to the ongoing research trajectory of the MOME Robotics Studio.

Rather than focusing on complex robotics engineering, the course examined how interaction concepts emerge, how assumptions are tested, and how meaning, trust, and expectations are shaped through embodied engagement. A demo robot platform (Reachy Mini – early edition) was present throughout the program, yet the emphasis remained on thinking through making, lightweight prototyping, and bodily experience.

For MOME Robotics Studio, this intensive week forms part of a longer trajectory: building an international network where design, robotics, research, and artistic practice genuinely intersect. Inviting David was not about showcasing prestige, but about opening space for modes of thinking that rarely fit within a single discipline or curriculum.

The course ran Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00, and was coordinated by Renáta Dezső in collaboration with Fogarasy Tamás, Head of the Interaction Design MA. It offered students a rare opportunity to engage directly with perspectives shaped by both experimental research and real-world robotic systems.

We are grateful for the intensity, generosity, and depth of discussion that emerged during those days together.

David also brought a Reachy Mini robot (early edition), which we used throughout the week as a hands-on experimentation platform a concrete way to explore Physical AI by embedding student-created AI agents into the robot’s physical body, and to think through interaction, movement, and embodied behavior together.

Course Details

Human–Robot Interactions (HRI) Intensive Studio Course
Dates: February 9–13, 2026
Language: English
Format: Intensive, studio-based workshop

Course Focus

The course explores Human–Robot Interaction as an embodied design practice, with emphasis on:

  • interaction concepts and software agents
  • movement, form, and behavioral meaning
  • trust, readability, and expectation-setting in HRI
  • lightweight prototyping and bodily experimentation
  • reflection on design decisions and assumptions

While a demo robot platform (Reachy Mini – early edition) is available, the primary focus is on conceptual development, embodied thinking, and iterative design, rather than advanced robotics engineering.

Course Lead

David Yann Robert
Director of Human–Robot Interaction Design, Boston Dynamics

David Yann Robert is a leading figure in Human–Robot Interaction, working at the intersection of robotics, embodied AI, animation, design research, and performance. His background spans early computer-animated feature films, procedural animation systems, HRI research at the MIT Media Lab, and the design of real-world robotic products and interaction frameworks at Boston Dynamics.

Co-Lecturer

Renata Dezso
Head of MOME Robotics Studio

Renáta Dezső co-taught the intensive week, contributing the studio’s ongoing research in reflective robotics, embodied interaction, and design-led HRI pedagogy.

Academic Coordination

Fogarasy Tamás

The course was jointly coordinated with FogarasyTamás, Head of the Interaction Design MA program, and hosted within the Interaction Design MA program.

The course was made possible with the support of MOME Global Voices, whose program enables international knowledge exchange by bringing leading practitioners to the university.

We also extend our thanks to Seeed Studio for supporting David’s visit through the Reachy Mini platform, which enabled students to explore the embodied and physical dimensions of AI in a tangible way.

Renata Dezso