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About

Dr. Lifen Tan is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), with a focused expertise in spatial cognition and intention recognition for collaborative robotics. Her work addresses a critical challenge: enabling robots to understand and anticipate human intentions naturally and reliably, particularly in assistive contexts for the elderly. Dr. Tan’s major contributions include the development of a multimodal confidence framework for intention recognition, which significantly enhances the accuracy and naturalness of human-robot cooperation. Her research on human-robot spatial cognition interaction systems has laid foundational principles for designing robots that can perceive and respond to spatial cues as intuitively as humans do. With her most-cited papers—including “Learning Multimodal Confidence for Intention Recognition” (6 citations) and “The Design of Human-Robot Spatial Cognition Interaction System” (6 citations)—Dr. Tan has established a strong impact in this emerging field. She has also systematically reviewed recent developments in spatial cognition tasks, providing a roadmap for future research. Her work is not only advancing the technical capabilities of collaborative robots but also shaping a future where these machines can seamlessly assist vulnerable populations, making her a key figure in the evolution of empathetic, intelligent robotics.