Papers
89
Total Citations
4,920
H-Index
34
About
Friederike Eyssel is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI) and social robotics, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how humans perceive, evaluate, and relate to robotic systems. Based at the intersection of social psychology and robotics, her research focuses on anthropomorphism, gender stereotyping, and social categorization in the context of robots and virtual agents. Eyssel's most celebrated contributions examine how human social biases extend to robots. Her 2012 study on gender stereotyping of robots (518 citations) demonstrated that people apply familiar gender stereotypes to robots based on facial cues alone, while her complementary work on robot voice and body shape further illuminated how appearance shapes acceptance and trust. Her research on social categorization (359 citations) revealed that robots are evaluated through the same in-group/out-group dynamics humans apply to each other — a striking finding with broad ethical implications. Beyond perception research, Eyssel has explored practical applications, including educational companion robots and the conditions under which anthropomorphism is heightened. Her co-authored introductory textbook on HRI (2020) reflects her commitment to advancing the field broadly. With multiple papers exceeding 100 citations, Eyssel stands as one of the most influential voices shaping how researchers and designers approach socially intelligent robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1(S)he's Got the Look: Gender Stereotyping of Robots<sup>1</sup>518 citations · 2012
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- 4'If you sound like me, you must be more human'289 citations · 2012
- 5Human-Robot Interaction201 citations · 2020
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- 10When a Robot’s Group Membership Matters126 citations · 2013