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About

Setareh Zafari is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), focusing on how robots can effectively collaborate with humans in industrial and social settings. Her work explores the psychological and practical dimensions of robot agency, examining how perceived control and autonomy shape human attitudes toward machines. Zafari’s most cited paper (50 citations) investigates the link between attributed agency and negative attitudes toward robots, revealing critical insights for designing socially acceptable autonomous systems. She has also made significant contributions to task allocation in human-robot teams, with a 2023 study (44 citations) empirically analyzing worker preferences in industrial assembly systems. Her research on robot interaction styles demonstrates that supportive, encouraging feedback can boost human self-efficacy during collaboration (17 citations). Zafari has developed innovative tools like the SWIFT interface for rapid robot teaching and VR-based evaluation methods for industrial assistance systems. Her conceptual typology of autonomous artificial agents (10 citations) provides a foundational framework for understanding machine agency in socio-technical systems. With over 140 total citations, Zafari’s work bridges engineering, psychology, and design, advancing both theoretical understanding and practical applications for seamless human-robot collaboration.