Elizabeth Broadbent

About

Elizabeth Broadbent is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, health psychology, and aged care technology. Based at the University of Auckland, she has become one of the foremost authorities on healthcare robotics, particularly focusing on how older adults perceive, accept, and benefit from robotic companions and assistants. Broadbent's most influential contribution, her 2009 review on healthcare robot acceptance by older populations, has garnered an extraordinary 870 citations, establishing the foundational framework for understanding barriers and facilitators to robot adoption in eldercare settings. Her subsequent work has consistently advanced this field — demonstrating through rigorous randomized controlled trials that companion robots can deliver meaningful psychosocial benefits, including reduced loneliness among older adults and people living with dementia. Beyond clinical outcomes, Broadbent has explored the deeper psychological dimensions of human-robot interaction, examining how mind perception, robot appearance, and humanlike facial displays shape user trust and engagement. Her finding that robots outperform tablets in delivering healthcare instructions has significant practical implications for clinical communication. With several papers exceeding 400 citations and a body of work spanning perception, acceptance, and therapeutic application, Broadbent's research continues to shape how engineers, clinicians, and policymakers design and deploy robots for vulnerable populations.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Acceptance of Healthcare Robots for the Older Population: Review and Future Directions

   870 citations · 2009
2. 2
   The Psychosocial Effects of a Companion Robot: A Randomized Controlled Trial

   554 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Interactions With Robots: The Truths We Reveal About Ourselves

   517 citations · 2016
4. 4
   The Role of Healthcare Robots for Older People at Home: A Review

   448 citations · 2014
5. 5
   Robots with Display Screens: A Robot with a More Humanlike Face Display Is Perceived To Have More Mind and a Better Personality

   260 citations · 2013
6. 6
   A Pilot Randomized Trial of a Companion Robot for People With Dementia Living in the Community

   231 citations · 2017
7. 7
   Attitudes towards health‐care robots in a retirement village

   226 citations · 2011
8. 8
   Does the Robot Have a Mind? Mind Perception and Attitudes Towards Robots Predict Use of an Eldercare Robot

   216 citations · 2013
9. 9
   Age and gender factors in user acceptance of healthcare robots

   200 citations · 2009
10. 10
    People respond better to robots than computer tablets delivering healthcare instructions

    157 citations · 2014

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links