Advancements in robot design and supporting technologies such as computer vision and speech 
recognition enable robots to interact with humans in a robust and natural manner. These increased 
interaction capabilities place new expectations on robots to correctly produce and interpret 
social behaviours that humans use in face-to-face communication. One of the most salient behaviours 
that these interactions involve is gaze. Gaze cues communicate information on the attention, 
intentions, and emotional state of individuals and play a key role in turn management in 
conversations. Current research on gaze in robotics is informed by a history of research in 
psychology and related fields and primarily comprised of research from the burgeoning fields 
of human-robot interaction and social robotics. Research in this area benefits from the 
development of models of gaze behavior for robots and empirical evaluations of robot gaze 
controllers, both working toward advancing the state of the art in human-robot interaction.


We invite submissions of original human-robot interaction and social robotics research as well as 
research in related fields relevant to the topic of “Gaze in Human and Human-Robot Communication.” 
The submissions should address one or more specific aspects of a better understanding of human 
gaze toward informing robot design, models of humanlike gaze for robots, and the role of gaze in 
human-robot communication.


Examples of topics of interest for this special issue are:

- Gaze and verbal communication

- Gaze and other nonverbal behaviours

- Gaze in conversational turn management

- Gaze as a measure of attentional, mental, and emotional states

- The role of gaze in social interaction

- Computational models of interactive gaze behaviour

- Robot gaze control for human-robot interaction



Submission Format:

We are seeking full papers describing original research at a mature stage of development up to 
8000 words. We also invite submissions in the form of research reports that are shorter articles 
(2000-3000 words) describing research that is complete but more limited in scope than what would 
justify a full article.


Further details about the required submission format for Interaction Studies can be found at: 
http://www.benjamins.com/#catalog/journals/is/guidelines

Statement of Intent:

Authors planning to contribute to the special issue should email the corresponding editor 
(frank.broz@plymouth.ac.uk) with a tentative author list, title, and abstract for their 
proposed manuscript as well as a statement whether they intend to submit a full paper or a 
research report as soon as possible but no later than the date listed below. 


Important Dates:


Submission of statement of intent: September 31, 2012

Submission of papers: January 15, 2013

Notifications: April 15, 2013

Revisions due: June 31, 2013


About Interaction Studies:

This international, peer-reviewed journal aims to advance knowledge in the growing and strongly 
interdisciplinary area of Interaction Studies in biological and artificial systems. Understanding 
social behaviour and communication in biological and artificial systems requires knowledge of 
evolutionary, developmental and neurobiological aspects of social behaviour and communication; 
the embodied nature of interactions; origins and characteristics of social and narrative 
intelligence; perception, action and communication in the context of dynamic and social 
environments; social learning, adaptation and imitation; social behaviour in human-machine 
interactions; the nature of empathic understanding, behaviour and intention reading; minimal 
requirements and systems exhibiting social behaviour; the role of cultural factors in shaping 
social behaviour and communication in biological or artificial societies.


Special Issue Editors:

Frank Broz (frank.broz@plymouth.ac.uk), Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom

Hagen Lehmann (h.lehmann@herts.ac.uk), University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom

Yukiko Nakano (y.nakano@st.seikei.ac.jp), Seikei University, Tokyo, Japan

Bilge Mutlu (bilge@cs.wisc.edu), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA