Abigail Millings
Papers
10
Total Citations
174
H-Index
7
About
Abigail Millings is a researcher specializing in human-robot interaction, social robotics, and child development, with a particular focus on how emotional expression and perceived animacy shape the ways children engage with humanoid robots. Her work has made significant contributions to understanding the psychological and social dimensions of child-robot relationships, examining how factors such as robot facial expressions, gender, and responsiveness influence children's attitudes and behaviors. Her most cited study (39 citations) demonstrated that lifelike affective facial expressions in the humanoid robot Zeno meaningfully affect children's interactions, while complementary work explored how children's age shapes their perception of robots as living beings or machines. Millings has also advanced theoretical thinking around human-technology relationships more broadly, proposing a new conceptualization of attachment to assistive technology that anticipates the growing role of autonomous, communicative devices in everyday life. Contributing to the EU-funded EASEL project on symbiotic education and learning, she has helped bridge psychology, robotics, and education in meaningful ways. With over 170 cumulative citations, her research offers valuable insights for designers, educators, and policymakers working to develop socially intelligent robots for child-facing applications.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2You Made Him Be Alive: Children’s Perceptions of Animacy in a Humanoid Robot33 citations · 2017
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- 5Attachment to Assistive Technology: A New Conceptualisation19 citations · 2013
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