Abderrahmane Khiat

Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Abderrahmane Khiat is a researcher whose work lies at the intersection of assistive robotics, human-robot interaction, and perceptual user interfaces. His most-cited paper, "Estimation of user's attention based on gaze and environment measurements for robotic wheelchair" (2004, 13 citations), introduces a pioneering robotic wheelchair system that functions as a guide robot. In this work, Khiat developed a method to detect a user's head pose and gaze direction, integrating these cues with environmental data from range sensors and maps. This allows the system to infer where the user is looking and navigate accordingly, a significant contribution to making assistive mobility devices more intuitive and responsive to human intent. By combining gaze estimation with spatial awareness, Khiat's research addresses a critical challenge in human-robot collaboration: enabling machines to understand and act upon a user's focus of attention. His work has laid foundational groundwork for subsequent developments in context-aware robotic assistance, demonstrating how perceptual technologies can enhance autonomy and safety for individuals with mobility impairments.