Rainer Wieching

About

Rainer Wieching is a prominent researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, socially assistive robotics, and gerontechnology, with a particular focus on deploying robotic systems within real-world care environments. His work addresses one of the most pressing societal challenges of our time: supporting ageing populations amid growing pressure on care systems worldwide. Wieching's most influential contribution, "Exploring Human-Robot Interaction with the Elderly" (2020, 162 citations), emerged from a rigorous 10-week case study in a care home, offering rare, ecologically valid insights into how robots function alongside residents and caregivers alike. This commitment to real-world research continued in his 2022 study on care workers' collaborative practices with robots (56 citations), meaningfully shifting the field's gaze toward often-overlooked caregiving professionals. Beyond deployment studies, Wieching has explored ethical and legal frameworks for categorizing social robots, investigated culturally sensitive android perception across Germany and Japan, and pioneered theomorphic robotic design through the CelesTE project. His engagement with AI-driven coaching systems, including LLM-integrated humanoid robots and the e-VITA virtual coaching platform, reflects a forward-looking agenda. Notably, his editorial work on religion in robotics signals a willingness to engage with deeper philosophical dimensions of the field, making him a uniquely interdisciplinary voice in assistive technology research.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Exploring Human-Robot Interaction with the Elderly

   162 citations · 2020
2. 2
   Care Workers Making Use of Robots: Results of a Three-Month Study on Human-Robot Interaction within a Care Home

   56 citations · 2022
3. 3
   Creative and Cognitive Activities in Social Assistive Robots and Older Adults: Results from an Exploratory Field Study with Pepper

   15 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Editorial Introduction to Special Issue on Religion in Robotics

   10 citations · 2021
5. 5
   Categorizing Social Robots with Respect to Dimensions Relevant to Ethical, Social and Legal Implications

   8 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Empowering Smart Aging: Insights into the Technical Architecture of the e-VITA Virtual Coaching System for Older Adults

   8 citations · 2024
7. 7
   Roboter als intelligente Assistenten in Betreuung und Pflege – Grenzen und Perspektiven im Praxiseinsatz

   7 citations · 2022
8. 8
   Reflective Dialogues with a Humanoid Robot Integrated with an LLM and a Curated NLU System for Positive Behavioral Change in Older Adults

   6 citations · 2024
9. 9
   Not that Uncanny After All? An Ethnographic Study on Android Robots Perception of Older Adults in Germany and Japan

   6 citations · 2022
10. 10
    CelesTE, theomorphic device for cognitive support of older adults

    6 citations · 2024

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links