Mark Higger
Papers
4
Total Citations
9
H-Index
2
About
Mark Higger is a rising researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, social navigation, and technology literacy. His work explores how robots can communicate and move more naturally in human environments, focusing on three key areas: gestural communication, social navigation, and AI literacy. Higger’s most cited paper, “(Gestures Vaguely): The Effects of Robots’ Use of Abstract Pointing Gestures in Large-Scale Environments” (2024, 5 citations), investigates how robots can use non-literal gestures to refer to distant objects—a critical skill for real-world deployment. He also developed “Degrees of Freedom,” a storytelling game that builds technology literacy about social robots, helping communities critically evaluate the risks and benefits of social robotics. His framework, “Overlapping Social Navigation Principles” (2025), synthesizes social norms, perceived safety, and legibility into a cohesive model for robot navigation in human spaces. Additionally, his work on “Givenness hierarchy theoretic sequencing” explores how robots can optimally sequence task instructions for human teammates. Though early in his career, Higger’s contributions are shaping how robots communicate, navigate, and educate in human-centered contexts.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Givenness hierarchy theoretic sequencing of robot task instructions1 citations · 2025