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About

Ahmad Hayek’s research sits at the critical intersection of social robotics, child safety, and impact biomechanics. His work is driven by a pressing question: as small companion robots are increasingly used in therapy for children with autism, how can we ensure they are safe during unexpected, aggressive physical interactions? Hayek’s major contributions involve experimentally characterizing the potential harm these robots could cause. He designed and built a low-cost, custom test rig to conduct controlled impact experiments on a dummy human head, systematically investigating how a robot’s shape and mass influence the severity of a blow. His most cited paper (14 citations) directly explores how soft materials can mitigate head injury risk, providing foundational data for safer robot design. By adapting methods from automotive and sports safety—traditionally used for crash tests and helmet efficacy—Hayek brings rigorous, empirical safety testing to the field of social robotics. His work is a vital step toward ensuring that therapeutic robots can be both effective and physically safe for their most vulnerable users.