Sara Maria Bejarano

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Sara Maria Bejarano pioneers the intersection of computer vision and human-robot interaction, with her work redefining how robots perceive and respond to human touch. Her most influential contribution, "ShadowSense" (2020, 27 citations), introduces a groundbreaking approach to tactile sensing: using a camera beneath translucent robot skin to capture shadows from human contact, then applying image classification to infer social gestures. This innovative method enables rich, full-body tactile interaction without expensive pressure sensors, opening new possibilities for intuitive human-robot collaboration. Bejarano’s research addresses a critical gap in robotics—creating machines that can understand nuanced physical communication, from a reassuring pat to a guiding hand. Her work has been recognized for its elegance and practicality, earning attention from both academic and industry robotics communities. By transforming a simple optical phenomenon into a sophisticated interaction channel, Bejarano demonstrates how creative thinking can solve complex engineering challenges, making her a rising voice in the field of socially-aware robotics.