David Marino

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About

David Marino’s research lies at the intersection of social robotics, affective computing, and human-robot interaction, with a focus on how robots can express and influence emotion in natural, accessible ways. His pioneering work on **Sketching CuddleBits** (2017, 39 citations) demonstrated that simple, DIY-fabricated social robots capable of physically displaying emotion—such as breathing—can significantly influence human emotional and physiological states, opening doors for robot-assisted therapy. Marino further advanced believable robot behavior with **Voodle** (2017, 16 citations), introducing “vocal doodling” as an intuitive method for non-experts to craft expressive robot vocalizations, inspired by the directness of human performance. His earlier work, **A cultured human neural network operates a robotic actuator** (2008, 30 citations), showcased a groundbreaking biohybrid system where living neural networks controlled a robotic actuator. In his provocative **Affective Robots Need Therapy** (2022, 3 citations), Marino challenges the field by arguing that if emotions are socially constructed, then affective robots must be designed for interpretive, context-sensitive interaction rather than rigid categorical models. His work consistently pushes toward more natural, emotionally resonant human-robot relationships.