Cristina Pop
Papers
15
Total Citations
1,315
H-Index
11
About
Cristina Pop is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics and autism therapy, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how robots can support children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Her research focuses on robot-assisted therapy (RAT), social engagement, and the development of emotionally responsive robotic systems as therapeutic tools. Pop's most influential contributions center on empirical investigations of children with ASD interacting with social robots such as Nao and Probo. Her landmark 2012 studies — collectively accumulating nearly 500 citations — demonstrated that children with autism exhibit heightened social engagement when interacting with imitative robots compared to human partners, a finding with profound clinical implications. She further explored how robots can serve as social story-telling agents and emotion recognition tutors, consistently producing evidence that robotic mediation enhances therapeutic outcomes. Beyond individual experiments, Pop has contributed critical perspectives on the ethical, societal, and design challenges surrounding robot-assisted therapy, including questions of trust, attachment, and autonomous robot control. Her 2015 survey on stakeholder expectations (207 citations) reflects her commitment to responsible innovation. With over 1,000 cumulative citations and practical innovations like the low-cost home-therapy device Probolino, Pop's work bridges rigorous research with real-world accessibility for vulnerable populations.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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- 10Probolino: A Portable Low-Cost Social Device for Home-Based Autism Therapy15 citations · 2015