Claire Foster

About

Claire Foster is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focused expertise on using social robotics to support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her work uniquely leverages robots as objective, repeatable social partners to uncover differences in play patterns and emotional responses between neurotypical children and those with ASD. Foster’s major contribution lies in demonstrating how robotic platforms can serve not only as therapeutic tools but also as diagnostic instruments to measure subtle affective cues. Her highly cited 2016 paper (59 citations) established foundational methods for analyzing play behavior, while her innovative work on a thermal emotion classifier (29 citations) introduced a novel, non-invasive technique for robots to detect a user’s emotional state through physiological signals. This breakthrough is critical for developing adaptive robots capable of long-term social engagement in homes, schools, and clinics. By bridging robotics, psychology, and affective computing, Foster’s research paves the way for more empathetic and responsive assistive technologies, making her a key figure in the future of socially intelligent robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Emotional robot to examine different play patterns and affective responses of children with and without ASD

   59 citations · 2016
2. 2
   A thermal emotion classifier for improved human-robot interaction

   29 citations · 2016
3. 3
   Emotional Robot to Examine Differences in Play Patterns and Affective Response of Children with and Without ASD

   15 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links