Farzaneh Askari
Papers
4
Total Citations
23
H-Index
3
About
Farzaneh Askari is a researcher at the intersection of social robotics, computer vision, and developmental psychology, with a focused mission to improve social communication for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her work centers on how these children perceive, recognize, and imitate non-verbal cues—specifically facial expressions and gaze—during human-robot interaction. In her pioneering pilot study, Askari investigated the use of a rear-projected humanoid robot, "Ryan," to assess facial expression recognition in autistic children, demonstrating how animated, computer-graphic faces on robots can serve as effective social partners. Her master’s thesis further explored the dual challenges of expression recognition and imitation, laying the groundwork for adaptive robotic systems. More recently, she has advanced the field by examining gaze perception from both head and pupil rotations in 2D and 3D contexts, revealing how atypical development in ASD shapes this multi-cue process. Her latest work introduces a reinforcement learning-based social robot that personalizes teaching of imitation skills, adapting in real-time to each child’s needs. With over 20 citations and a trajectory toward increasingly adaptive, AI-driven interventions, Askari is shaping a future where robots become responsive, individualized tools for social skill development.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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