Embodied investigation.
Use body activation, role enactment and low-fidelity props to investigate three HRC bricklaying task scenarios. Develop human role maps describing what humans do, sense, decide, coordinate and repair.
Accepted workshop · OzCHI 2026
Designing
through
Becoming.
Bodystorming Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction
Apply to participateFull day · In person · No bricklaying experience needed
WhereAdelaide, Australia
When21 November 2026 (tentative)
Participation deadline9 November 2026
01 / The question
What is the human’s role and place?
If a bricklayer and a collaborative robot are constructing a wall together, what is the role and place of the human in that collaboration?
Australia’s housing crisis raises questions of labour, productivity, skill, safety and technology adoption. Construction work is situated, embodied, material and spatially contingent. This workshop asks how HCI can help design human-robot collaboration (HRC) in construction without treating the human as a residual operator or the robot as a simple replacement for labour.
We invite you to design through becoming: the bricklayer, the robot, the wall, the safety boundary and the spatial constraint. Using bricklaying tasks as a shared site for design inquiry, we will explore what humans do, notice, repair, coordinate and decide in collaborative construction work.
Immersive spatial prototyping.
Move from 2D layout planning into XR-based immersive prototyping to explore the spatial place of the human in HRC, including visibility, reach, safety zones, handovers, material flow and points of intervention.
02 / The day
From embodied exploration to design.
We will develop human role maps, spatial layout concepts and design recommendations for human-centred construction robotics.
Provisional programmeAll times are local to Adelaide.
Planned for 21 November 2026, subject to confirmation.
Room to be confirmed.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome & Acknowledgement of Country |
| 09:30 | Framing collaborative bricklaying |
| 10:00 | Body activation exercise |
| 10:30 | Morning tea |
| 10:45 | Bodystorming HRC bricklaying tasks |
| 12:00 | Human role mapping |
| 12:30 | Lunch break |
| 13:30 | Immersive spatial prototyping |
| 14:45 | Afternoon break |
| 15:00 | Spatial layout synthesis |
| 16:00 | Design recommendations |
| 16:30 | Final presentations and discussion |
| 17:00 | Optional informal gathering, subject to the OzCHI schedule |
03 / Take part
Different perspectives.
A shared workspace.
We welcome researchers, designers and practitioners interested in how people and robots work together.
Bring your perspective from HCI, architecture, construction, robotics, human factors, immersive technology, social science or design education. We plan to bring together approximately 12–20 participants in interdisciplinary groups.
No prior bricklaying experience is needed. You will be guided through the activities.
Participate in a way that works for you.
Movement activities can be adapted for seated or standing participation. Observing, sketching and directing are equally welcome ways to contribute. Headset use is optional; participants can also annotate layouts and join the discussion from outside the immersive scene.
Activities will not require strenuous movement or heavy lifting. To discuss accessibility requirements, contact Jasper.
04 / The team
Meet the organisers.
Jasper Vermeulen
Queensland University of Technology
Australian Cobotics Centre
Human factors and human-robot collaboration in real-world work.
Anthony Franzè
Griffith University & QUT
Product and user experience design; collaborative robotics in bricklaying.
Yuan Liu
Queensland University of Technology
Immersive, spatial and interactive technologies for human-robot collaboration.
Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira
QUT Construction and Architectural Robotics Lab
Design robotics, computational design, and architectural and robotic fabrication.
Alan Burden
QUT Construction and Architectural Robotics Lab
Human-centred design, construction innovation and collaborative robotic systems.
Glenda Amayo Caldwell
QUT Design Lab & QUT Centre for Robotics
Human-centred and socio-technical approaches to architectural robotics.
Join us at OzCHI 2026
Bring your perspective.
Build something together.
Applications are open. Complete the Google Form to apply to participate in the workshop.
Questions? Email Jasper Vermeulen.
- Call for participation closes
- 9 November 2026
- Participant notifications
- Before 16 November 2026
- Workshop date (tentative)
- 21 November 2026
- Room
- To be confirmed
- Conference
- OzCHI · 21–25 November 2026 ↗