Laura Boccanfuso
Yale University, University of South Carolina, Robotics Research (United States)
Papers
13
Total Citations
736
H-Index
10
About
Laura Boccanfuso is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of socially assistive robotics, human-robot interaction, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) therapy. Her work has fundamentally advanced how robots can be deployed as therapeutic and educational tools for children with developmental differences, moving the field beyond brief laboratory experiments toward ecologically valid, real-world interventions. Boccanfuso's most celebrated contribution — a month-long, home-based robotic intervention for children with ASD — garnered 347 citations and demonstrated that social robots could meaningfully improve communication and social skills in natural environments. Alongside this landmark study, she designed CHARLIE, an adaptive robot featuring hand and face tracking specifically engineered for autism therapy, reflecting her commitment to purpose-built, accessible technology. Her low-cost robot platform and field trial research further lowered barriers for real-world deployment. Beyond ASD interventions, Boccanfuso has made notable contributions in physiological sensing, developing non-contact methods for remotely measuring breathing rate and heart rate — work with clear applications in rehabilitative robotics. Her thermal emotion classifier adds another dimension, enabling robots to detect and respond to users' affective states. Collectively, her research has shaped a more adaptive, emotionally intelligent, and clinically grounded vision of socially assistive robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 6A thermal emotion classifier for improved human-robot interaction29 citations · 2016
- 7Adaptive Robot Design with Hand and Face Tracking for Use in Autism Therapy26 citations · 2010
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