Gestural Entrainment: The Social Impact of Temporal and Magnitude Alignment in HRI

Recent adaptive frameworks emphasize the need for "consistency" across verbal and non-verbal modalities. However, the specific alignment of gesture magnitude and frequency (mimicry) between a robot and a human remains under-explored in its effect on long-term rapport. In light of this, the current research project will ask to what extent does a robot’s subtle alignment with a human partner’s gestural tempo and magnitude (entrainment) enhance perceived empathy without falling into the "Uncanny Valley"? To investigate this, we will look at the evaluation of "Interactional Synchrony" using humanoid robots that dynamically scale their gesture intensity based on real-time human motion tracking. Metrics would include self-reported rapport, social presence, and physiological markers of engagement. While the work will primarily target dyadic interaction, we will also consider issues of consistency of persona and presence in multi-person contexts. The key output of this work will be design guidelines for "naturalness" in social robots that prioritizes behavioural alignment over purely generative variety.

2.1 BSc in a Relevant Computer Science related subject.

Funding Agency: Research Ireland

Student Stipend per annum: €25,000

Fees covered by the funding per annum: € 5,500

Materials & Travel Budget per annum: € 3000 approx

Duration of Funding: 48 Months

Deadline to submit an application: Friday 20^th June 2026

If you are interested in submitting an application for this project, please complete an Expression of Interest.

 https://forms.office.com/e/0hCcrv2Gkp

If you are interested in submitting an application for this project, please complete an Expression of Interest.

 https://forms.office.com/e/0hCcrv2Gkp