Christina Nielsen

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Christina Nielsen’s research lies at the compelling intersection of human-robot interaction, medical robotics, and the psychology of trust. Her work fundamentally explores how patients build confidence in robotic caregivers, particularly in rehabilitation and therapeutic contexts. Nielsen’s major contribution is her empirical investigation of the physiological and psychological underpinnings of trust during physical human-robot interaction. Her most-cited paper (2018, 13 citations) examines trust in medical human-robot interactions through kinesthetic guidance, using the prototype therapeutic robot, the Universal RoboTrainer. This foundational study highlights the heightened stakes of trust when patient well-being is on the line. Expanding on this, her 2019 study (5 citations) delves deeper, measuring participants’ heart rate and feelings of safety when being physically led by a rehabilitation robot. By linking objective physiological data with subjective perceptions, Nielsen provides a nuanced, multi-layered view of what it means for a vulnerable user to feel safe with a machine. Her work is notable for pioneering a methodology that bridges engineering and clinical psychology, offering critical insights for designing robots that are not only effective but genuinely trusted by the people they are meant to help.