Bandita Sarma

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Bandita Sarma is a researcher whose work sits at the compelling intersection of human-robot interaction and healthcare. Her primary focus is on developing socially intelligent robotic systems that can facilitate meaningful health behavior change. In her most-cited work, "A Framework for Health Behavior Change using Companionable Robots" (2014), Sarma introduced a novel dialogue system framework designed to guide patients toward healthier lifestyles. This framework is notable for its three-stage approach: building rapport, identifying health topics, and assessing the patient’s readiness for change—all through natural language analysis and generation. While her citation count of 5 reflects the niche, early-stage nature of this work, the conceptual contribution is significant, laying foundational groundwork for companion robots that can engage in therapeutic, non-clinical conversations. Sarma’s research is particularly impactful for students and researchers interested in affective computing, socially assistive robotics, and patient-centered AI. Her work exemplifies how dialogue systems can move beyond simple task completion to foster genuine behavioral and emotional support, marking her as a thoughtful contributor to the future of human-centered robotics in healthcare.