Institute for Humane Robotics
Defining how robots coexist with humans.
Designing social boundaries, evaluation frameworks, and cross-cultural guidance for embodied AI entering homes, healthcare, education, and public life.
Sign up and we'll send the framework when it's ready. Early access guidance for teams designing ahead of regulation.
Robotics is moving into human environments faster than shared standards exist.
Early design decisions now shape user trust, regulatory exposure, and long-term adoption. We help teams make those decisions while systems are still flexible.
What We Do
We support teams building socially interactive robots across global markets.
Our work focuses on:
- Cultural Localization & Social Fit: Behavioral calibration and cultural adaptation across US, Japan, and Europe — ensuring robots are socially legible and accepted in context.
- Trust & Boundary Architecture: Defining authority, autonomy, attachment, and long-term interaction constraints before deployment.
- Regulatory & Standards Alignment: Early alignment with emerging governance frameworks and legal realities in embodied AI.
- Ecosystem & Strategic Access: Connecting robotics teams to researchers, policymakers, and investors shaping deployment trajectories.
This is not speculative ethics.
It is decision support for real systems being built now.
The Framework
Humane Robotics Design Framework (v1)
A practical pre-standards guidance document for teams building embodied AI systems that will operate in human environments - across homes, healthcare, education, and public life.
The framework includes:
- Cultural localization and behavioral calibration across markets (US–Japan–Europe)
- Social boundary architecture: authority, autonomy, and attachment limits
- Risk areas commonly missed in early product development
- Developmental considerations across age groups
- Alignment with emerging regulatory and standards trajectories
Sign up below and we'll send it when it's ready. Versioned, updated, and expanded over time.
Why This Matters
As robots move into human environments, technical performance alone will not determine success.
Cultural fit, social acceptance, and regulatory alignment will shape which systems scale - and which stall.
Early intervention is:
- Less costly than redesign
- User trust and long-term adoption
- Cross-market deployment viability
Our role is to support that intervention.
Who This Is For
This work is intended for:
If your system will live with people, this work is relevant.
Additional Resources
Additional research notes and briefs:
These resources support — but do not replace — the primary framework.
The Institute
The Institute for Humane Robotics is an independent research and design institute focused on long-term human–robot interaction in domestic, caregiving, and child-facing contexts.
Our work bridges research, industry, and policy.
Core Team
Sara Filipčić
Founder & Executive Director
Entrepreneur with 8+ years building and advising startups across the US, Europe, and Australia. Expert on the impact of technology on child development and long-term human–machine interaction. Bridges research, industry, and policy to define responsible deployment strategies for embodied AI systems.
Montana Gray
Head of Research
Researcher at Stanford University completing a Master’s in East Asian Studies. Her thesis, “Living with Robots, Life with Robots,” examines Japan’s cultural and philosophical models of long-term human–robot symbiosis. Brings deep qualitative research rigor and cross-cultural insight into how societies integrate social technologies over time.
Philip Cherner
Co-Founder & Technical Lead
MIT Media Lab engineer specializing in embodied AI, robotics, and human-centered autonomy. Brings deep expertise in AI systems design, safety architecture, and real-world deployment of autonomous systems
Strategic Engagement
We work across the ecosystem shaping how embodied AI systems are developed, deployed, and governed.
Engagements are selective and purpose-driven.
For teams, researchers, or institutions working on embodied AI and social robotics:
Begin with the framework.
Humane Robotics Design Framework (v1)
We're finalizing the framework. Sign up below and we'll send it to you as soon as it's ready.