Carnegie Mellon University Africa

Through its CSSR4Africa project, CMU-Africa develops culturally sensitive social robots that use artificial intelligence to interpret and respond with African cultural norms for gestures, greetings and spatial behaviour. In 2025–2026 the team advanced prototypes of the Pepper humanoid robot for laboratory tours and reception assistance, with research associate contributions highlighted in a March 2026 Nature Africa feature and ongoing presentations of the work at international human-robot interaction venues.