Papers
43
Total Citations
1,087
H-Index
17
About
Chandimal Jayawardena is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI) and socially assistive robotics, with a particular focus on improving quality of life for older adults in aged care settings. His work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how robots can be meaningfully integrated into eldercare environments, spanning robot design, deployment, and the psychological dimensions of human-robot relationships. Jayawardena's most celebrated contribution — his 2013 study on mind perception and robot acceptance (216 citations) — revealed how attitudes and beliefs about robot consciousness predict real-world adoption of eldercare robots. Complementing this, his longitudinal trials demonstrated that direct interaction with robots measurably improved residents' and staff attitudes, a finding with profound implications for technology adoption strategies. His development of the HealthBot robot series, deployed across multiple retirement facilities, produced evidence that robots can deliver tangible benefits including improved medication adherence and enhanced entertainment and communication opportunities for residents. Beyond deployment, Jayawardena made significant contributions to robot programming accessibility through RoboStudio, a visual programming environment enabling rapid service customization. With over 700 cumulative citations across his most influential works, his research has shaped both the technical and human-centered dimensions of assistive robotics, making him a foundational figure in the field of robot-assisted eldercare.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Deployment of a service robot to help older people77 citations · 2010
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- 7Socially Assistive Robot HealthBot: Design, Implementation, and Field Trials48 citations · 2014
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