Francesca Manini

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Francesca Manini’s research sits at the compelling intersection of social robotics, cognitive science, and human-robot interaction. Her work investigates a fundamental question: can our capacity for empathy shape how we perceive the minds of machines? In her most-cited study (2023, 14 citations), Manini demonstrates that the humanoid robot NAO, when placed in a context known to evoke situational empathy in humans, can actually stimulate the attribution of mental states—such as intentions, emotions, and consciousness—towards itself. This finding challenges traditional boundaries between human and artificial agents, suggesting that our emotional engagement with robots can blur the lines of social cognition. Her research has significant implications for designing more intuitive, socially-aware robots and for understanding the psychology of human-machine relationships. By experimentally linking empathy to mind perception, Manini opens new avenues for ethical AI design and for exploring how we might naturally integrate robots into social environments. Her work is a key contribution to the growing field of robot ethics and human-robot empathy, offering a rigorous, empirical foundation for future studies.