Shirley Elprama
Papers
17
Total Citations
362
H-Index
10
About
Shirley Elprama is a human-robot interaction researcher whose work sits at the intersection of robotics, workplace technology, and human factors, with a particular focus on collaborative robots (cobots) and their integration into real-world settings. Her research has made substantial contributions to understanding how factory workers perceive, accept, and collaborate with robotic systems—a critically underexplored dimension of industrial automation. Her most cited work, "Working with Walt" (2018, 104 citations), offers a rare, in-depth account of deploying a cobot on an actual automotive assembly line, illuminating both the technical and human challenges of such integration. Complementing this, her studies on worker attitudes (2017, 48 citations) and the role of anthropomorphic social cues in robot acceptance (2016, 31 citations) have helped shape design recommendations for more human-centered cobots. Beyond industrial settings, Elprama has explored assistive social robots, robot personality design, and the social barriers surrounding telesurgery adoption. Her 2020 methodological contribution on questionnaire use in human-robot interaction research reflects her commitment to rigorous, reproducible science. Across more than a decade of interdisciplinary work, Elprama has consistently championed the human perspective in robotics—making her a valuable voice in conversations about the future of human-machine collaboration.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Attitudes of Factory Workers towards Industrial and Collaborative Robots48 citations · 2017
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- 6Exploring the social-technological gap in telesurgery22 citations · 2014
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- 8Introduction to (Re)Using Questionnaires in Human-Robot Interaction Research14 citations · 2020
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