Catrin Misselhorn

About

Catrin Misselhorn is a leading philosopher and robotic ethicist whose work probes the moral frontiers of human-robot interaction. Her research centers on the ethics of social robotics, artificial moral agency, and the psychology of our emotional responses to machines. She is best known for her seminal 2009 paper, "Empathy with Inanimate Objects and the Uncanny Valley" (150 citations), which explores why we feel unease—and even empathy—toward humanlike robots. Misselhorn has also shaped debates on robot care for older adults, notably in her highly cited 2013 work "Ethical Considerations Regarding the Use of Social Robots in the Fourth Age" (78 citations), where she critically examines both utopian and dystopian visions of eldercare automation. Her more recent contributions include frameworks for categorizing social robots by ethical, social, and legal dimensions (2020), and a pioneering exploration of artificial moral agents (2022). Misselhorn’s work is distinguished by its philosophical depth and practical urgency, addressing whether machines can—or should—make moral decisions. Her research is essential reading for anyone interested in the ethics of AI, empathy, and the future of care.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Empathy with Inanimate Objects and the Uncanny Valley

   150 citations · 2009
2. 2
   Ethical Considerations Regarding the Use of Social Robots in the Fourth Age

   78 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Collective Agency and Cooperation in Natural and Artificial Systems

   19 citations · 2015
4. 4
   Artificial Moral Agents

   17 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Categorizing Social Robots with Respect to Dimensions Relevant to Ethical, Social and Legal Implications

   8 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Is Empathy with Robots Morally Relevant?

   2 citations · 2023
7. 7
   A Softwaremodule for an Ethical Elder Care Robot. Design and Implementation Abstract:

   2 citations · 2019

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links