An Jacobs
Papers
19
Total Citations
469
H-Index
11
About
An Jacobs is a prominent researcher in human-robot interaction, with expertise spanning collaborative robotics, assistive technologies, and the societal implications of robotics. Her work bridges the technical and human dimensions of robotic systems, consistently centering the needs, attitudes, and experiences of the people who work alongside or depend on robots. Jacobs gained significant recognition for her foundational studies on factory workers' acceptance of collaborative robots — or "cobots" — including her widely cited account of deploying a cobot named Walt on an automotive assembly line (104 citations). This work demonstrated how human-robot collaboration can transcend the limitations of full automation by leveraging complementary human and machine strengths. Her early research into worker attitudes (48 citations) and the role of anthropomorphic social cues in robot acceptance (31 citations) helped shape best practices in industrial cobot design and deployment. Beyond the factory floor, Jacobs has made meaningful contributions to assistive robotics, telesurgery adoption, and — increasingly — the broader societal role of robotics in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (70 citations). Her methodological contributions, including guidance on questionnaire reuse in human-robot interaction research, further reflect her commitment to rigorous, reproducible science. With over 400 cumulative citations, Jacobs stands as an influential voice in making robotics more human-centered and socially responsible.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Robotics: Enabler and inhibitor of the Sustainable Development Goals70 citations · 2023
- 3Attitudes of Factory Workers towards Industrial and Collaborative Robots48 citations · 2017
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- 8Exploring the social-technological gap in telesurgery22 citations · 2014
- 9
- 10Introduction to (Re)Using Questionnaires in Human-Robot Interaction Research14 citations · 2020