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About

Benedict Tiong Chee Tay is a pioneering researcher in human–robot interaction (HRI), with a focus on how social stereotypes and personality traits shape people’s acceptance of robots. His most influential work, “When stereotypes meet robots: The double-edge sword of robot gender and personality in human–robot interaction” (476 citations), reveals that gendered robot designs can both enhance and hinder user trust, depending on context. Tay further explored this in “When Stereotypes Meet Robots: The Effect of Gender Stereotypes on People’s Acceptance of a Security Robot” (47 citations), demonstrating that stereotypical cues influence perceived competence and warmth. Beyond stereotypes, Tay investigates the role of humor in robotics, as seen in “Types of humor that robots can play” (77 citations), and methodological rigor in HRI evaluation, notably in “Methodological Issues in Scenario-Based Evaluation of Human–Robot Interaction” (41 citations) and “Effect of scenario media on human-robot interaction evaluation” (15 citations), which shows that the medium used to present HRI scenarios—text, video, or live interaction—significantly alters user perception. His work on the pet robot CuDDler (9 citations) further underscores his commitment to designing socially engaging robots. With over 665 total citations, Tay’s research provides critical insights for creating robots that are both socially intelligent and contextually appropriate.