Andrew B. Williams

About

Andrew B. Williams is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, social robotics, and broadening participation in computing. His most impactful work centers on developing socially assistive robots, particularly the AIDA (Artificially Intelligent Disability Assistant) system, which uses social scaffolding techniques to uplift workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This research, with papers accumulating over 20 citations, demonstrates how collaborative robots can augment rather than displace vulnerable workers. Williams has also made significant contributions to non-verbal emotional communication in human-robot collaboration, showing how emotional expression improves interaction efficiency and robustness. A hallmark of his career is his leadership in diversifying STEM: he spearheaded the NSF-funded ARTSI Alliance and introduced cognitive robotics curricula at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Spelman College, where he founded the award-winning SpelBots robotics team to inspire women in computer science. His work has been cited over 50 times, reflecting its influence in both technical HRI and equity-focused computing education.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   AIDA: A Social Co-Robot to Uplift Workers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

   11 citations · 2019
2. 2
   Improving Human-Robot Collaboration Efficiency and Robustness through Non-Verbal Emotional Communication

   10 citations · 2021
3. 3
   Introducing an experimental cognitive robotics curriculum at historically black colleges and universities

   8 citations · 2008
4. 4
   The ARTSI Alliance: Recruiting Underrepresented Students to Computer Science and Robotics to Improve Society.

   7 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nonverbal Communication in Human-Robot Interaction

   5 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Effects of SMILE Emotional Model on Humanoid Robot User Interaction

   4 citations · 2015
7. 7
   AIDA: Using Social Scaffolding to Assist Workers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

   4 citations · 2020
8. 8
   Improving Engagement by Letting Social Robots Learn and Call Your Name

   4 citations · 2020
9. 9
   SpelBots: Using Autonomous Robotics to Inspire Women to Participate in Computer Science.

   3 citations · 2008
10. 10
    Introducing an experimental cognitive robotics curriculum at historically black colleges and universities

    2 citations · 2008

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links