Alberto Lillo
Papers
7
Total Citations
29
H-Index
2
About
Alberto Lillo is an emerging researcher specializing in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), affective computing, and social robotics, with a particular focus on the psychological dimensions of human relationships with intelligent machines. His most significant contribution explores how empathy shapes the attribution of mental states to robots — a groundbreaking line of inquiry demonstrating that humanoid robots like NAO can trigger genuine empathic responses and mind perception in human participants, work that has garnered 14 citations and established him as a notable voice in the field. Lillo has also contributed to educational robotics through the development of Wolly, an affective and adaptive robot designed to engage children in meaningful social and instructional interactions. His more recent investigations examine emotional alignment as a mechanism for empathic communication in HRI, studying how robots like Pepper can leverage emotionally attuned dialogue to influence persuasion and communication styles. Pushing boundaries further, Lillo has ventured into Animal-Robot Interaction, designing AI-based systems capable of recognizing and responding to canine emotional states — a genuinely novel frontier. Across his growing body of work, Lillo consistently bridges cognitive science, robotics, and human psychology to humanize machine interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Can empathy affect the attribution of mental states to robots?14 citations · 2023
- 2Wolly: an affective and adaptive educational robot7 citations · 2022
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- 5Can empathy affect the attribution of mental states to robots?2 citations · 2023
- 6Robots adapting to dogs: a new frontier?1 citations · 2025
- 76th Workshop on Adapted intEraction with SociAl Robots (cAESAR)1 citations · 2025