Carla Diana

Start Making A Reader Today, Lawrence Technological University

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About

Carla Diana is a pioneering researcher and designer at the intersection of human-robot interaction, tangible computing, and creative robotics. Her foundational work explores how aesthetic design and physical form shape our social relationships with machines. In her highly cited paper "The Shape of Simon" (2011, 18 citations), Diana established critical precedents for designing expressive, socially active robots, demonstrating how body characteristics—such as eyeballs and eyelids—can fundamentally alter human perception and engagement. This work remains a touchstone for researchers developing socially embodied AI. Diana also investigates how technology transforms creative practice, as seen in "Passionate Projects" (2014), which examines maker culture and the tangible expression of individual vision across domains from fashion to robotics. Most recently, her 2025 study "A Constructed Response" breaks new ground by choreographing collaborative dance improvisation with robot arm movements, probing how physically manipulable technologies alter the creative process itself. A celebrated designer and educator, Diana’s work bridges engineering, art, and interaction design, offering profound insights into how we might live, create, and move alongside intelligent machines.