Carol Stanger

University of Delaware, Marin Community Foundation, Integrated Device Technology (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

183

H-Index

About

Carol Stanger is a pioneering researcher in assistive robotics, with a career dedicated to bridging the gap between technology and human need. Her key research areas include rehabilitation robotics, human-robot interaction, and inclusive educational technology. Stanger’s most influential work, “Devices for assisting manipulation: a summary of user task priorities” (1994, 139 citations), established foundational user-defined criteria for designing rehabilitation robots, emphasizing the critical tradeoff between function, appearance, ease of use, reliability, and cost. This study remains a cornerstone for understanding what individuals with limited upper extremity function truly need from assistive devices. She further advanced the field by analyzing user demographics and market potential in her 1996 work (23 citations), providing essential data for designing robots that meet real-world demands. Stanger also broke new ground in inclusive education, demonstrating how robotic systems can create cooperative learning environments for students with and without disabilities (1996, 12 citations). Her innovative approach extended to using robotics to assess cognitive development in very young children (2005, 9 citations), exploring how interaction with robots can reveal developmental age. Through her user-centered methodology, Stanger has shaped how assistive technologies are designed, ensuring they serve actual human priorities rather than technical novelty.