Andrea Mussati

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

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About

Andrea Mussati is a researcher at the forefront of human-robot interaction and tangible computing, with a particular focus on making programming accessible to novices. Her most-cited work, "A Tangible Programming Language for the Educational Robot Thymio" (2019, 16 citations), explores how physical, hands-on interfaces can offer a more intuitive alternative to screen-based graphical programming languages. This research demonstrates that tangible programming languages significantly lower the barrier to entry for teaching basic computer science concepts, especially for young learners. Mussati’s contributions lie in bridging the gap between abstract coding logic and physical manipulation, showing that children can grasp programming fundamentals more effectively when they can touch and move code blocks. Her work with the Thymio robot platform has been influential in educational robotics, providing a concrete, engaging way to introduce computational thinking. By championing tangible interfaces, Mussati has helped shape modern approaches to STEM education, proving that the most powerful learning tools are often those we can hold in our hands.