Papers
24
Total Citations
620
H-Index
15
About
Laura Aymerich-Franch is a pioneering researcher whose work bridges human-robot interaction, embodiment psychology, and digital mental health. Her scholarship spans two compelling domains: the phenomenology of robotic embodiment and the deployment of social robots for psychological well-being. In her earlier work, Aymerich-Franch made foundational contributions to understanding how humans experience inhabiting robotic bodies. Studies such as "Non-human Looking Robot Arms Induce Illusion of Embodiment" (42 citations) and "Object Touch by a Humanoid Robot Avatar Induces Haptic Sensation in the Real Hand" (37 citations) revealed that humans can develop surprisingly vivid sensory illusions when embodying robotic avatars, even non-humanoid ones — reshaping assumptions about presence and telepresence research. Her research trajectory then expanded powerfully into mental health applications. Her robotic positive psychology coach studies (76 and 71 citations respectively) demonstrated measurable improvements in college students' psychological well-being, addressing a global mental health crisis through scalable, accessible technology. Complementary work mapping socially assistive robot deployments during COVID-19 (56 citations) and across healthcare settings (33 citations) positions her as a leading voice in understanding real-world robotic integration. Altogether, her cumulative impact makes her an essential reference for researchers exploring robots as compassionate, therapeutic agents in human society.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1A Robotic Positive Psychology Coach to Improve College Students’ Wellbeing76 citations · 2020
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- 5Non-human Looking Robot Arms Induce Illusion of Embodiment42 citations · 2017
- 6A Robotic Companion for Psychological Well-being37 citations · 2023
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- 10Why it is time to stop ostracizing social robots31 citations · 2020