Giovanni Ferrin
Papers
7
Total Citations
112
H-Index
6
About
Giovanni Ferrin’s research sits at the vibrant intersection of educational robotics, human-robot interaction, and children’s perceptions of technology. His work explores how young people conceptualize, engage with, and learn alongside robots, blending hands-on playfulness with rigorous empirical study. Ferrin’s major contributions include pioneering investigations into children’s imaginative and knowledge-based relationships with robots, as seen in his early work “Children’s Knowledge and Imaginary About Robots” (23 citations) and the widely cited “Approaching Social Robots Through Playfulness and Doing-It-Yourself: Children in Action” (28 citations). He has also advanced comparative studies in educational robotics, notably comparing arts-and-crafts robots with LEGO® MINDSTORMS platforms (19 citations), and examined how morphological human-likeness affects perceptions of robot cognitive and affective capabilities (18 citations). Ferrin’s research on social robots as cultural objects—introducing the concept of a “sixth dimension of dynamicity”—further demonstrates his theoretical depth. With a growing citation footprint and a focus on how robots are mediated through media like YouTube, Ferrin is shaping how we understand robots not just as tools, but as cultural and educational partners for the next generation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Children’s Knowledge and Imaginary About Robots23 citations · 2015
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- 5Social robots as cultural objects: The sixth dimension of dynamicity?16 citations · 2018
- 6How the social robot Sophia is mediated by a YouTube video6 citations · 2022
- 7