During my project, I have been in two secondments: one research-oriented at SoftBank Robotics in Paris (France), and a training-oriented at Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart (Germany). 

The research carried in SoftBank Robotics gave me the triple opportunity to expand my network, create new working collaborations and exploit different aspects of my project’s research topic. In particular, I planned, developed and ran a study to investigate the impact of a social robot on people’s trust in robots during a navigation task. The collaboration was a success that brought the publication of the paper “Investigating the Effects of Social Interactive Behaviours of a Robot on People’s Trust During a Navigation Task” presented at the conference Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems - TAROS 2019.  

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, I had the opportunity to be exposed to an industrial-type experience. This secondment gave me some insights into the world of work in an industry related to my subject.