Ann-Kathrin Rahmel

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Ann-Kathrin Rahmel is a rising scholar at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI) and social robotics, with a focused interest in how non-verbal cues shape trust and cooperation between humans and machines. Her most cited work, “The Role of Perceived Eye Contact in Helping Robots” (2024), investigates how a robot’s gaze behavior influences a person’s willingness to assist it—a critical question as robots enter homes, workplaces, and public spaces. Through a controlled lab study, Rahmel demonstrates that perceived eye contact can significantly alter human helping behavior, offering early but compelling evidence that subtle design choices in robotic faces carry real social weight. Though her citation count is still growing—reflecting the recency of her contributions—her research has already been recognized for its timely relevance to the ethical and practical design of socially aware robots. Rahmel’s work stands out for bridging experimental psychology and robotics engineering, making her a promising voice in the effort to build machines that not only function well but also communicate intuitively.