Trevor Webster
Papers
1
Total Citations
6
H-Index
1
About
Trevor Webster is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics, human-robot interaction, and computational humor. His work focuses on enabling robots to engage in natural, playful dialogue by recognizing and adapting to human emotional responses in real time. Webster's most cited paper, "This Bot Knows What I’m Talking About!" (2022), introduces a human-inspired laughter classification method for adaptive robotic comedians. Drawing from a survey of 20 professional human comedians, he developed a machine learning pipeline that allows social robots to detect laughter patterns and adjust their comedic timing and content accordingly—a critical step toward more responsive, emotionally intelligent machines. Though early in his career, Webster's contributions are already shaping the design of socially aware robots capable of nuanced interaction. His work bridges cognitive science, AI, and performance art, offering a novel framework for building robots that can not only speak but truly engage. With 6 citations on this foundational paper, Webster is establishing a unique niche in adaptive social robotics, promising future advances in how machines understand and mirror human expressiveness.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
- 1