Byeong Kyu Ahn
Papers
7
Total Citations
137
H-Index
6
About
Byeong Kyu Ahn is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), with a specific focus on designing socially intelligent robots for healthcare environments. His work centers on how robotic systems can effectively replace or assist human roles, particularly as medical receptionists. Ahn’s major contributions include pioneering the integration of subtle social behaviors—such as smiling, using a patient’s first name, and displaying attentional cues like leaning forward—into robot interactions. His 2020 study on a receptionist robot’s smiling and first-name use (39 citations) and his 2019 randomized controlled trial on attentional behaviors (35 citations) are foundational, demonstrating that these features significantly improve user perceptions, attitudes, and compliance. He also advanced technical dialogue systems, developing an extended hybrid code network that enables robots to select both verbal responses and gestures in real time. Ahn’s work has been published in top venues and includes the creation of the HealthBots platform, a multi-robot system for hospital reception and nurse assistance. His research bridges engineering and social science, showing that robots can be both functional and warmly engaging, with a growing citation impact that underscores his influence on the future of socially assistive robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4The Doctor will See You Now: Could a Robot Be a medical Receptionist?15 citations · 2019
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- 7Development of Robot Platform for Traditional Performance2 citations · 2013