Cesar Vandevelde

About

Cesar Vandevelde is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of social robotics, open-source hardware, and educational technology. His research has consistently focused on lowering the barriers to robotics development, championing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approaches and open-source platforms that make robot design accessible to non-experts, educators, and the broader research community. Vandevelde is perhaps best known for his development of Ono and the OPSORO platform — open-source social robots designed to democratize human-robot interaction research. By enabling large-scale studies through affordable, customizable hardware, these contributions directly address a persistent challenge in the field: the prohibitive cost and inflexibility of commercial social robots. His work on participatory design further reflects a commitment to inclusive, user-centered approaches to building robots that function meaningfully in everyday human environments. In educational robotics, Vandevelde has contributed foundational overviews of classroom technologies and DIY construction systems, earning over 15 citations for guiding educators toward practical implementation strategies. Across his body of work, which has accumulated over 120 citations, he has championed the idea that wider acceptance of robotics depends not only on technical innovation but on making the tools of creation open, affordable, and engaging for all.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Design and evaluation of a DIY construction system for educational robot kits

   33 citations · 2015
2. 2
   Towards Participatory Design of Social Robots

   28 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Do-It-Yourself Design for Social Robots: An Open-Source Hardware Platform to Encourage Innovation

   16 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Overview of Technologies for Building Robots in the Classroom

   15 citations · 2013
5. 5
   Systems Overview of Ono

   10 citations · 2013
6. 6
   Prototyping Social Interactions with DIY Animatronic Creatures

   7 citations · 2015
7. 7
   An open platform for the design of social robot embodiments for face-to-face communication

   6 citations · 2016
8. 8
   Ono, a DIY open source platform for social robotics

   5 citations · 2014
9. 9
   Demonstration of OPSORO - an open platform for social robots

   5 citations · 2016
10. 10
    Demonstration of OPSORO: an Open Platform for Social Robots

    3 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links