This Smart and Connected Communities Integrative Research Grant (SCC-IRG) project supports research that aims to develop systems that help robots navigate public areas in a safe and socially acceptable manner. While robots have great potential to improve communities by providing services such as delivery, safety patrol, and sanitation, they are still limited in their ability to autonomously manage the complexities of real-world public walkways, which often feature sprawling obstacles, unmaintained sidewalks, and varying weather conditions. Robots may also find it challenging to navigate among people who are on their phones, not paying attention, using a cane or a walker, pushing a stroller, or walking their dog. This can lead to unsafe interactions and hinder the public acceptance necessary to realize the full potential of robotic services. However, robots cannot simply follow hard traffic rules and must learn to adapt and adjust their behavior based on the scenarios they encounter. This project will engage directly with community members to collect data and train new algorithms on how people want robots to behave in public. Intended outputs of this research are improved ways for robots to navigate in public and communicate with community members. By developing socially appropriate navigation and communication for these robots, this research seeks to create safer and more effective robotic systems. This work serves the national interest by advancing scientific progress in hum