Holly A. Yanco

About

Holly A. Yanco is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), whose work has fundamentally shaped how we understand, classify, and evaluate the relationship between humans and robotic systems. Based at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Yanco is perhaps best known for developing influential taxonomies of human-robot interaction — her 2005 classification framework (366 citations) remains a foundational reference for the field, extending earlier work to capture the social dimensions and physical proximity of HRI scenarios. Yanco's research spans several critical domains: situation awareness in robot-assisted search and rescue, trust dynamics in autonomous systems, telepresence robotics, and assistive technologies. Her studies on how robot failures affect real-time trust (220 citations) and how changing reliability shapes human confidence in robotic systems (176 citations) have directly informed the design of safer, more transparent autonomous systems. Her work on robotic wheelchairs and autism interventions further demonstrates a consistent commitment to socially meaningful applications of robotics. With multiple papers exceeding 200 citations and a body of work bridging usability evaluation, cognitive awareness frameworks, and real-world competition analysis, Yanco has established herself as one of the most impactful voices in making robots genuinely useful and trustworthy partners for human beings.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Classifying human-robot interaction: an updated taxonomy

   366 citations · 2005
2. 2
   Awareness in human-robot interactions

   258 citations · 2004
3. 3
   Exploring use cases for telepresence robots

   248 citations · 2011
4. 4
   Wheelesley: A robotic wheelchair system: Indoor navigation and user interface

   223 citations · 2006
5. 5
   Impact of robot failures and feedback on real-time trust

   220 citations · 2013
6. 6
   Beyond Usability Evaluation: Analysis of Human-Robot Interaction at a Major Robotics Competition

   210 citations · 2004
7. 7
   Are Robots Ready to Deliver Autism Interventions? A Comprehensive Review

   182 citations · 2016
8. 8
   Effects of changing reliability on trust of robot systems

   176 citations · 2012
9. 9
   "Where am i?" acquiring situation awareness using a remote robot platform

   160 citations · 2005
10. 10
    Evaluation of human-robot interaction awareness in search and rescue

    147 citations · 2004

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links