Samuel Fernando
Papers
17
Total Citations
281
H-Index
10
About
Samuel Fernando is a researcher specializing in human-robot interaction (HRI), with a particular focus on social robotics, child-robot interaction, and the role of emotional expression in shaping human perceptions of robotic systems. His work has made significant contributions to understanding how children engage with humanoid robots, exploring questions of animacy, trust, and emotional responsiveness in real-world educational settings. Fernando's most cited work, "The Effects of Robot Facial Emotional Expressions and Gender on Child-Robot Interaction" (2018, 39 citations), investigates how lifelike affective expressions in the humanoid robot Zeno influence children's behavior and attitudes. Complementing this, his 2015 paper on trust in HRI (35 citations) provides a valuable interdisciplinary framework for understanding the contextual and individual factors that shape human-robot trust. His involvement in the EU-funded EASEL Project further reflects his commitment to developing symbiotic educational robots capable of meaningful tutoring interactions. Across his body of work, Fernando consistently highlights how age, perception of animacy, and emotional design affect children's acceptance of robotic companions. With over 240 cumulative citations, his research offers important insights for designers and educators seeking to deploy socially intelligent robots in learning environments effectively.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3You Made Him Be Alive: Children’s Perceptions of Animacy in a Humanoid Robot33 citations · 2017
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- 5The EASEL Project: Towards Educational Human-Robot Symbiotic Interaction26 citations · 2016
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- 7Towards a Synthetic Tutor Assistant: The EASEL Project and its Architecture17 citations · 2016
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