Christian Becker-Asano

About

Christian Becker-Asano is a prominent researcher in human-robot interaction, social robotics, and affective computing, whose work has substantially advanced our understanding of how robots can communicate emotion and engage meaningfully with humans. He is perhaps best known for his investigations into android robots, particularly through his studies with the Geminoid series, where he explored how humanlike machines display and convey facial emotions. His 2011 paper evaluating the android Geminoid F's facial expressions has garnered 115 citations, while his fieldwork examining the "uncanny valley" phenomenon — the unsettling feeling humans experience when robots appear almost, but not quite, human — has become a touchstone in the field, drawing on real-world interaction data from the ARS Electronica festival. Beyond android research, Becker-Asano has made notable contributions to understanding emotional body language in robots, laughter as a para-verbal social signal, and gesture-based interaction with humanoid systems. His explorations of laughter in social robotics were pioneering, recognizing an often-overlooked dimension of human connection. With cumulative citations spanning hundreds of works, his research bridges technical robotics design and the nuanced psychological dimensions of human-machine relationships, making his scholarship essential reading for students and researchers shaping the future of social robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Evaluating facial displays of emotion for the android robot Geminoid F

   115 citations · 2011
2. 2
   Robot-specific social cues in emotional body language

   70 citations · 2012
3. 3
   EXPLORING THE UNCANNY VALLEY WITH GEMINOID HI-1 IN A REAL-WORLD APPLICATION

   62 citations · 2010
4. 4
   The Uncanny in the Wild. Analysis of Unscripted Human–Android Interaction in the Field

   36 citations · 2013
5. 5
   Full-body gesture recognition using inertial sensors for playful interaction with small humanoid robot

   24 citations · 2010
6. 6
   Studying laughter in combination with two humanoid robots

   18 citations · 2010
7. 7
   Social interaction with robots and agents: Where do we stand, where do we go?

   18 citations · 2009
8. 8
   How about laughter? Perceived naturalness of two laughing humanoid robots

   18 citations · 2009
9. 9
   Laughter in Social Robotics – no laughing matter

   17 citations · 2009
10. 10
    Evaluating the usability and users' acceptance of a kitchen assistant robot in household environment

    15 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links