Diana Franklin

University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago

Papers

Total Citations

213

H-Index

About

Diana Franklin is a leading researcher in computer science education and human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on making programming accessible to non-experts. Her most influential work centers on block-based programming for industrial robotics, demonstrating that visual, drag-and-drop interfaces—traditionally used to teach children coding—can be effectively adapted for real-world manufacturing tasks. Her landmark 2017 paper, *Blockly goes to work: Block-based programming for industrial robots* (82 citations), introduced a customized block language that dramatically lowers the barrier to programming collaborative robots. This work was further validated in her 2018 studies evaluating the CoBlox system (totaling over 119 citations), which showed that workers with no prior programming experience could successfully program robots for simple pick-and-place and assembly tasks. Franklin’s contributions bridge the gap between educational computing and industrial automation, challenging the assumption that robot programming requires years of specialized training. Her research has significant implications for small manufacturers seeking to adopt automation, and she has also developed an IDE specifically designed for easy programming of simple robotics tasks. Through her work, Franklin is democratizing access to robotics, empowering a new generation of workers to harness automation without traditional coding expertise.