Papers
10
Total Citations
62
H-Index
5
About
Esther Ruf is a Swiss researcher whose work sits at the intersection of gerontechnology, human-robot interaction, and social assistive robotics, with a particular focus on how older adults experience and engage with robotic systems. Her research addresses one of the most pressing challenges of demographic change: supporting aging populations to live independently while alleviating the growing burden on care professionals. Ruf's most significant contributions examine the emotional responses, attitudes, and practical acceptance of robots among older adults and caregivers. Through projects such as Agebots — a multidisciplinary initiative funded by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) — she has investigated how humanoid and service robots can motivate physical activity at home, assist in nursing home settings, and promote wellbeing across diverse contexts. Her work also attends to the ethical dimensions of robot deployment, capturing public concerns that are often overlooked in purely technical discussions. Publishing in both English and German, Ruf bridges academic and applied audiences, ensuring her findings reach practitioners and policymakers alike. With a growing body of work accumulating over 60 citations, her research is helping to shape evidence-based frameworks for the responsible and effective integration of socially assistive robots into elder care environments.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Motivating Older Adults to Exercise at Home: Suitability of a Humanoid Robot10 citations · 2020
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6Roboter zur Unterstützung im Alter5 citations · 2020
- 7Service Robots: Emotions of Older Adults in Different Situations5 citations · 2020
- 8
- 9
- 10