Maria Pateraki

About

Maria Pateraki is a computer vision and human-robot interaction (HRI) researcher whose work has meaningfully shaped how robots perceive and engage with people in real-world environments. Her most celebrated contributions center on socially intelligent robotic systems, most notably her pioneering work on a humanoid robot bartender capable of navigating complex, multi-party social settings — a project that earned 92 citations and demonstrated that service robots must express socially appropriate behavior to be effective in public spaces. Her 2013 follow-up study (64 citations) reinforced this finding by directly comparing task-focused and socially aware robotic behavior. Pateraki has also made significant technical advances in visual perception, developing methods for tracking facial features, hands, and full-body pose across multiple persons, as well as fusing face pose and hand orientation to interpret pointing gestures for robot guidance. Her more recent work extends into industrial robotics, including 6D object localization in car-assembly environments and 3D edge detection using normal vectors, reflecting a broadening of her expertise into applied computer vision. With a body of work accumulating over 280 citations, Pateraki's research bridges the gap between perceptual algorithms and real-world human-centered robotic applications.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Two people walk into a bar

   92 citations · 2012
2. 2
   Comparing task-based and socially intelligent behaviour in a robot bartender

   64 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Visual estimation of pointed targets for robot guidance via fusion of face pose and hand orientation

   45 citations · 2013
4. 4
   Visual tracking of hands, faces and facial features of multiple persons

   30 citations · 2012
5. 5
   Tracking of facial features to support human-robot interaction

   15 citations · 2009
6. 6
   3D EDGE DETECTION BASED ON NORMAL VECTORS

   7 citations · 2024
7. 7
   Visual estimation of pointed targets for robot guidance via fusion of face pose and hand orientation

   7 citations · 2011
8. 8
   6D Object Localization in Car-Assembly Industrial Environment

   7 citations · 2023
9. 9
   Robust Model-Based 3D Torso Pose Estimation in RGB-D Sequences

   7 citations · 2013
10. 10
    Robust articulated upper body pose tracking under severe occlusions

    6 citations · 2014

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links