Michaela Sprenger

Papers

Total Citations

170

H-Index

About

Michaela Sprenger is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of information systems and healthcare technology, with a particular focus on service robotics in clinical and human-centered environments. Her work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how autonomous robotic systems can be meaningfully integrated into healthcare settings, a domain that had received surprisingly little attention from information systems scholars prior to her contributions. Sprenger's most influential publication, "Service Robots in Hospitals: New Perspectives on Niche Evolution and Technology Affordances" (2017), has garnered 128 citations and stands as a landmark study examining healthcare workers' shared beliefs and concerns surrounding autonomous robots entering clinical spaces. By applying the lens of technology affordances and niche evolution, she helped bridge the gap between engineering-driven robotics research and the sociotechnical realities of healthcare organizations. Her earlier work, including a 2014 call-to-action for information systems researchers to engage with service robotics, demonstrated notable intellectual foresight, anticipating a field that has since grown substantially. With a consistent focus on how emerging technologies reshape organizational and societal structures, Sprenger has established herself as a thought leader encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue around responsible technology adoption in sensitive human environments.