Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Bonnie Lashewicz is a leading scholar at the intersection of health technology, disability studies, and family caregiving. Her research critically examines how assistive technologies—from home care apps to humanoid robots—shape the expectations and experiences of vulnerable populations, including children in hospitals and older adults in continuing care. Lashewicz’s most-cited work, “Home Care Technology Through an Ability Expectation Lens” (2014, 16 citations), challenges the ableist assumptions embedded in health technologies, arguing that devices often demand more from users than they accommodate. She has made groundbreaking contributions to pediatric care through her studies on the humanoid robot MEDi®, including a narrative design study (2020, 9 citations) exploring child life specialists’ long-term experiences and an implementation analysis (2021, 8 citations) examining the gap between lofty goals and tangible realities. Her recent scoping review on robotic pets in continuing care (2025) identifies both barriers and facilitators to adoption, highlighting unintended consequences for older adults with dementia. Lashewicz’s work is notable for centering the voices of practitioners and care recipients, ensuring that technological innovation serves human dignity rather than imposing new burdens.