Attila Szuts
Papers
2
Total Citations
95
H-Index
2
About
Attila Szuts is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a primary focus on the psychological mechanisms underlying the Uncanny Valley effect—the unsettling sensation evoked by near-human androids. His most influential work, the 2019 multisite study "Uncanny but not confusing," directly challenged prevailing theories by demonstrating that category confusion between "robot" and "human" is not the primary driver of this aversion. Through rigorous cross-site replication, Szuts and his team showed that eeriness persists even when perceptual categorization is clear, redirecting the field toward alternative explanations such as threat avoidance or mismatch in predictive processing. This landmark paper has accumulated over 90 citations, cementing its status as a key reference in robotics and cognitive science. By disentangling perceptual confusion from emotional response, Szuts has provided a more nuanced framework for designing socially acceptable humanoid robots. His work not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical guidance for engineers aiming to mitigate negative user reactions, making him a pivotal figure in the quest for seamless human-robot coexistence.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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