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About

Daniel Hernandez is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a primary focus on robot-assisted therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders. His most impactful contribution is the development and validation of supervised autonomous robotic systems for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) therapy, detailed in his 2019 paper "Robot-Enhanced Therapy," which has garnered 81 citations. This work, funded by the European Commission's FP7 program, demonstrated how robotic agents can be clinically deployed to improve social skills in children with ASD, bridging the gap between engineering and clinical psychology. Hernandez has also explored humanoid teleoperation for space environments, investigating collaborative human-robot teams for hazardous or remote tasks. His research is distinguished by its translational impact—moving robotic systems from lab prototypes to validated therapeutic tools. By combining rigorous technical development with real-world clinical trials, Hernandez has established himself as a key figure in socially assistive robotics, showing how autonomous systems can meaningfully enhance human well-being.