Kate Darling
Papers
10
Total Citations
616
H-Index
7
About
Kate Darling is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, law, and ethics, widely recognized for her groundbreaking work on how humans form emotional and social bonds with robotic systems. Her scholarship centers on the phenomenon of anthropomorphism — the human tendency to project lifelike qualities onto robots — and its profound implications for policy, legal frameworks, and societal integration of robotic technology. Darling's most influential contribution, "Extending Legal Protection to Social Robots" (2016, 229 citations), argues that because humans naturally empathize with socially designed robots, existing legal and ethical frameworks may need to evolve to address this reality. Her recurring exploration of "anthropomorphic framing" across multiple studies demonstrates how simply naming or humanizing a robot measurably alters human behavior toward it, raising urgent questions about manipulation, consent, and responsibility. Her work spans practical applications as well, including research on therapeutic robots like PARO during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigations into children's vulnerability to robot-mediated advertising. With a body of work accumulating hundreds of citations and contributions to the Journal of Human-Robot Interaction's law and policy discourse, Darling has established herself as an indispensable voice shaping how society navigates an increasingly robot-integrated future.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Extending Legal Rights to Social Robots114 citations · 2012
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- 5PARO as a Biofeedback Medical Device for Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era28 citations · 2021
- 6Empathic concern and the effect of stories in human-robot interaction21 citations · 2015
- 7Innovating AI Leadership Education9 citations · 2023
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