Anna Wilkinson

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About

Anna Wilkinson is a pioneering researcher in the intersection of animal cognition and robotics, with a primary focus on how non-human animals perceive and interact with artificial conspecifics. Her work centers on understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying animal behavior, particularly in reptiles, and leveraging robotic technologies to test these processes in controlled, repeatable ways. Wilkinson’s major contribution lies in demonstrating that robots can serve as effective experimental tools to probe animal perception, social recognition, and communication. Her most-cited paper, “Using robots to understand animal cognition” (2016, 49 citations), established a foundational framework for this approach, arguing that robotic stimuli offer unique advantages over live animals or static models. She further advanced the field with her empirical study on bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), showing that these lizards can perceive and respond to artificial conspecifics, opening new avenues for research into reptile social cognition. Wilkinson also developed a marker-based motion capture system to create a head-bobbing robotic lizard, enabling precise replication of species-specific displays. Her work has been instrumental in bridging robotics and comparative cognition, inspiring new methodologies for studying animal behavior.