Ujwal Kumar
Papers
1
Total Citations
2
H-Index
1
About
Ujwal Kumar is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of religion, robotics, and human-machine interaction. His work explores how people perceive and react to autonomous systems in sacred or spiritual contexts, challenging traditional boundaries between technology and faith. In his most-cited paper, “Sacred or uncanny? Exploring visitors’ reaction to a robotic saint in exhibition” (2024, 2 citations), Kumar investigates the polarised responses elicited by a robotic saint displayed in a public exhibition. This study reveals how visitors oscillate between reverence and unease, offering critical insights into the uncanny valley effect within religious settings. Kumar’s contributions are foundational to the emerging field of techno-spirituality, bridging robotics, anthropology, and theology. His research has immediate implications for museums, cultural institutions, and designers of social robots intended for sensitive environments. Though early in his career, Kumar’s work is already sparking interdisciplinary dialogue and is poised to influence how we design and deploy robots in spaces of worship, ritual, and contemplation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1