Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Csilla Csukonyi is a leading researcher at the intersection of psychology and robotics, specializing in human-robot interaction (HRI), technology acceptance, and the psychological foundations of autonomous systems. Her work critically examines how trust, attitudes, and social dynamics shape our willingness to collaborate with robots—from surgical theaters to everyday mobile robots. Csukonyi’s most impactful paper, “Robots for surgeons? Surgeons for robots?” (24 citations), explores the acceptance of robotic surgery, revealing how trust in machines influences medical professionals’ readiness to adopt new technologies. She is also a key architect of the Organic Human-Robot Interaction (O-HRI) framework, which provides a psychologically grounded model for making robots more sociable and intuitive. Her papers on O-HRI (7 and 5 citations) address technical and psychological barriers to natural interaction, including how robots can signal intent when moving among humans. Another notable study (5 citations) investigates the risks of over-acceptance, where people follow a robot’s request even when it contradicts a human instruction—a critical insight for safety and ethics in collaborative settings. Csukonyi’s work bridges engineering and behavioral science, offering actionable principles for designing robots that are not only functional but socially intelligent and trustworthy.