Papers
32
Total Citations
2,617
H-Index
20
About
Carlos Martinho is a prominent researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, social robotics, and affective computing, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how robots can forge meaningful, lasting relationships with humans. His most influential contribution, "Social Robots for Long-Term Interaction: A Survey" (2013), has accumulated an remarkable 836 citations, establishing itself as a foundational reference in the field. Martinho's research consistently explores how emotional and empathic capabilities can make robots more effective companions, particularly for children and in extended deployment scenarios. A recurring theme throughout his work is empathy as a design principle — demonstrated across multiple highly cited papers examining how robots that model and respond to human emotions foster deeper engagement and more natural interaction. His innovative use of the iCat robot in chess-playing experiments revealed that physical embodiment significantly enhances user enjoyment, while his longitudinal studies confronted the critical "novelty effect" challenge that plagues social robotics. With a body of work spanning affect recognition, companion design, and empathic modelling, and cumulative citations exceeding 2,000, Martinho stands as a leading voice in designing robots that don't merely function alongside humans — but genuinely connect with them.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Social Robots for Long-Term Interaction: A Survey836 citations · 2013
- 2The influence of empathy in human–robot relations328 citations · 2012
- 3Empathic Robots for Long-term Interaction256 citations · 2014
- 4Are emotional robots more fun to play with?123 citations · 2008
- 5As Time goes by: Long-term evaluation of social presence in robotic companions109 citations · 2009
- 6Modelling empathic behaviour in a robotic game companion for children105 citations · 2012
- 7
- 8Modelling Empathy in Social Robotic Companions86 citations · 2012
- 9
- 10Using Empathy to Improve Human-Robot Relationships67 citations · 2011