SoBots: A Domain Ontology for Social Robotics

Zebisch R, Merz N, Franke J, Reitelshöfer S, Schilp J (2026)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2026

Publisher: IEEE Computer Society

Pages Range: 7-12

Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings of IEEE Workshop on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts, ARSO

Event location: Vienna, AUT

ISBN: 9798331564452

DOI: 10.1109/ARSO68304.2026.11536115

Abstract

Ontological models have proven to be an effective approach in robot cognition with applications in task planning or semantic-driven communication. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no domain ontology currently exists for the specialized field of social robotics. Therefore, this paper introduces SoBots, a meta-model that provides a semantic foundation for social robotics. SoBots integrates the Sharework Ontology for Human-Robot Collaboration with DOLCE+DnS Ultralite and the Semantic Sensor Network ontology, and extends them with axioms for capability-based task execution, Belief-Desire-Intention modeling, and social interaction. The resulting domain-specific ontology explicitly links tasks, agent capabilities, intentions, and interaction structures. Beyond the theoretical level, a gap often remains between semantic modeling and practical applicability. To address this, the paper further presents an interactive simulation framework for human-robot collaboration that builds on the proposed semantic foundation. The framework leverages task-decomposition graphs from the Sharework Ontology to automatically derive discrete-event simulation contexts based on an agent’s occurrent desires and intentions.

Authors with CRIS profile

Nina Merz Lehrstuhl für Fertigungsautomatisierung und Produktionssystematik (FAPS) Jörg Franke Lehrstuhl für Fertigungsautomatisierung und Produktionssystematik (FAPS) Sebastian Reitelshöfer Lehrstuhl für Fertigungsautomatisierung und Produktionssystematik (FAPS)

Involved external institutions

Universität Augsburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Zebisch, R., Merz, N., Franke, J., Reitelshöfer, S., & Schilp, J. (2026). SoBots: A Domain Ontology for Social Robotics. In Proceedings of IEEE Workshop on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts, ARSO (pp. 7-12). Vienna, AUT: IEEE Computer Society.

MLA:

Zebisch, Raoul, et al. "SoBots: A Domain Ontology for Social Robotics." Proceedings of the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts, ARSO 2026, Vienna, AUT IEEE Computer Society, 2026. 7-12.

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