Annalena Nora Baecker

University of Manitoba, Osnabrück University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Annalena Nora Baecker is a pioneering researcher in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), with a focused interest in the design and social impact of robotic systems for older adults. Her work critically examines the intersection of robot morphology, trust, and emotional support, challenging assumptions about how technology can serve healthy aging populations. Baecker’s most cited paper, “Emotional Support Domestic Robots for Healthy Older Adults” (2020, 32 citations), is a seminal contribution that redirects HRI research from a primary focus on dementia care toward the broader, underexplored domain of supporting cognitively healthy seniors. This work highlights the potential for domestic robots to provide companionship and emotional well-being, not just medical assistance. In her complementary study, “Blind Trust: How Making a Device Humanoid Reduces the Impact of Functional Errors on Trust” (2020, 5 citations), Baecker reveals a critical bias: users are more forgiving of errors made by humanoid robots than non-humanoid ones. This finding has profound implications for robot design and ethical deployment, suggesting that anthropomorphic features can dangerously inflate user trust. Together, her research offers a nuanced understanding of how robot form and function shape user perception, laying vital groundwork for the responsible integration of social robots into everyday life.