Gianpaolo Maggi

About

Gianpaolo Maggi is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), specializing in socially assistive robotics for healthcare and education. His work focuses on how robots’ behavioral styles—from empathetic to entertaining—influence user engagement, cognitive performance, and trust. Maggi’s most impactful contribution is a randomized clinical trial demonstrating that the social robot NAO provides emotional support to children in a pediatric emergency department, significantly reducing anxiety (46 citations). He also investigates mind perception, showing that users attribute mental and emotional states to robots based on interaction style (28 citations), and explores how robot monitoring affects acceptance in older adult care. His studies on cheating behavior with assistive robots reveal the role of user personality in compliance. Maggi’s research bridges robotics, psychology, and clinical practice, with over 150 total citations across his top papers. Notable achievements include developing the BRILLO barman robot to study engagement through different interaction styles and creating automatic scoring systems for cognitive tests via HRI. His work is essential for designing robots that are not only functional but socially intelligent, with direct applications in pediatric care, rehabilitation, and elderly support.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Using the Social Robot NAO for Emotional Support to Children at a Pediatric Emergency Department: Randomized Clinical Trial

   46 citations · 2021
2. 2
   “Don’t Get Distracted!”: The Role of Social Robots’ Interaction Style on Users’ Cognitive Performance, Acceptance, and Non-Compliant Behavior

   40 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Mind Perception in HRI: Exploring Users’ Attribution of Mental and Emotional States to Robots with Different Behavioural Styles

   28 citations · 2023
4. 4
   What Would You Like to Drink?

   12 citations · 2020
5. 5
   Administrating Cognitive Tests Through HRI: An Application of an Automatic Scoring System Through Visual Analysis

   6 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Validation of Robot Interactive Behaviors Through Users Emotional Perception and Their Effects on Trust

   6 citations · 2021
7. 7
   Cheating with a Socially Assistive Robot?

   6 citations · 2020
8. 8
   Assessment of Distraction and the Impact on Technology Acceptance of Robot Monitoring Behaviour in Older Adults Care

   5 citations · 2025
9. 9
   A Preparatory Study for Measuring Engagement in Pediatric Virtual and Robotics Rehabilitation Settings

   5 citations · 2020
10. 10
    Cheating with a Socially Assistive Robot? A Matter of Personality

    3 citations · 2020

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links