Arinah Karim

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Arinah Karim is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), gerontechnology, and affective computing. Her work is distinguished by a deep commitment to designing socially intelligent robots that serve vulnerable populations, from older adults seeking purpose to children navigating cognitive tasks. In her highly cited 2023 study, "'Ikigai' Robots" (5 citations), Karim conducted interviews with ten family caregivers in Japan to understand how home robots could support older adults' *ikigai*—a Japanese concept of meaning in life. This work revealed that physical health is a primary concern for caregivers, laying a human-centered foundation for robot design that prioritizes emotional and existential well-being over mere task completion. Karim also pushes the boundaries of non-invasive sensing. Her 2024 paper, "The Nose Knows" (4 citations), pioneers the use of thermal imaging to approximate children's cognitive load and engagement during robot interactions. By integrating visual and thermal cameras, she developed a data pipeline that enables real-time, non-invasive engagement tracking for a desktop social robot created by Honda Research Institute. This innovative approach promises to make robots more responsive and adaptive, particularly in educational and therapeutic settings. With a growing citation footprint, Karim is establishing herself as a leader in culturally-aware, empathetic robotics.