Deborah Szapiro
Papers
11
Total Citations
204
H-Index
7
About
Deborah Szapiro is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focus on designing social robots that communicate expressively and empathetically. Her work centers on the development of the tabletop robot "Haru," a platform that integrates insights from animation, performance, and design thinking to create rich, non-verbal interactions. Szapiro’s major contributions include pioneering a holistic framework for robot expressivity—defining how robots use gestures, eye movements, and storytelling to build emotional connections with humans. Her highly cited paper "Haru" (90 citations) established the foundational design methodology, while subsequent work on affective storytelling and collaborative gaming (over 20 citations) demonstrates how robots can engage users in creative, playful, and educational contexts. Notably, she has explored robot-mediated cross-cultural communication, using Haru to bridge remote groups of children in Japan and Australia, and has addressed privacy concerns in pediatric care settings. With over 200 total citations across her publications, Szapiro’s research is shaping the future of socially aware robots that are not just tools, but companions capable of fostering genuine human connection.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Haru90 citations · 2018
- 2A Holistic Approach in Designing Tabletop Robot’s Expressivity41 citations · 2020
- 3
- 4Exploring Affective Storytelling with an Embodied Agent11 citations · 2021
- 5Design of Embodied Mediator Haru for Remote Cross Cultural Communication10 citations · 2024
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- 7Emoji to Robomoji: Exploring Affective Telepresence Through Haru8 citations · 2020
- 8Design of Social Features for Robot-mediated Cross-cultural Interaction6 citations · 2024
- 9The LMA12-O Framework for Emotional Robot Eye Gestures5 citations · 2022
- 10