Alex Santiago-Anaya
Papers
1
Total Citations
7
H-Index
1
About
Dr. Alex Santiago-Anaya is a leading voice in human-robot interaction, specializing in the design and perception of emotionally expressive social robots. His most-cited work, “Facial Expressions Increase Emotion Recognition Clarity and Improve Warmth and Attractiveness on a Humanoid Robot without Adding the Uncanny Valley” (2023, 7 citations), directly tackles a critical challenge in the field: how to make robots appear emotionally intelligent and approachable without triggering the unsettling “uncanny valley” effect. By demonstrating that well-designed facial expressions can simultaneously boost a robot’s perceived warmth, attractiveness, and emotional clarity, Santiago-Anaya provides a clear, evidence-based pathway for creating more effective and accepted social robots. This contribution is vital as robots increasingly enter caregiving, education, and service roles. His work helps resolve mixed findings in prior research, offering practical design principles that prioritize user comfort and trust. For students and researchers, his research is a cornerstone for understanding how subtle design choices in robotics can profoundly shape human perception and interaction quality.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1