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About

Rob Saunders is a researcher whose work sits at the compelling intersection of computational creativity, human-robot interaction, and robotic art. His scholarship interrogates fundamental questions about machine agency, creativity, and the nature of communication between humans and robots, challenging dominant human-centric paradigms in the field. Rather than designing robots to merely mimic human behavior, Saunders advocates for relational and performative frameworks — drawing on feminist theory and embodied cognition — to reimagine how humans and machines might meaningfully co-exist and co-create. His most-cited contribution, *Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design 2016* (139 citations), reflects his engagement with creative robotics in physical and design contexts. Across works like "Creative Machine Performance" and "Accomplice," he has consistently explored how robotic systems can function as genuine creative collaborators rather than mere tools. More recently, his research has expanded toward socially significant applications, including a scoping review examining human-robot co-creativity with older adults, signaling a growing commitment to inclusive design. With publications spanning over a decade and accumulating citations across diverse disciplines, Saunders has established himself as a thoughtful, boundary-crossing voice in creative AI and social robotics, inspiring researchers to think more critically about what it means to create — and relate — alongside machines.