Eugenio Di Tullio

Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Investigação e Desenvolvimento, University of Lisbon

Papers

Total Citations

110

H-Index

About

Eugenio Di Tullio is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), specializing in the development of socially expressive and empathic robotic systems for real-world educational settings. His work centers on designing autonomous robots capable of understanding and responding to human social cues, with a particular focus on child-robot interaction in classrooms. Di Tullio’s major contributions include pioneering a restricted-perception Wizard-of-Oz methodology for discovering robust social interaction strategies, a technique that has garnered over 41 citations for its innovative approach to robot behavior design. He is also the architect of the SERA ecosystem (Socially Expressive Robotics Architecture), a comprehensive model and toolset for integrating AI agents with robotic embodiments, which has been cited 21 times for its practical utility in diverse HRI scenarios. Notably, his research on empathic robotic tutors—exploring children’s expectations and satisfaction—has been highly influential (41 citations) and was demonstrated in the EMOTE project, where he developed a robotic tutor to assist students with a map application. Di Tullio’s work bridges the gap between technical AI architecture and meaningful social interaction, laying the groundwork for robots that can genuinely engage and support learners.