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About

Gitte Rasmussen is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI) and social interaction analysis, with a particular focus on kinesthetic and embodied communication. Her work fundamentally rethinks how humans and robots coordinate physically, drawing on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to study the subtle, powerful "language" of co-motion. Rasmussen’s major contribution is the development of a novel method that combines Social Embodied Interaction (SEI) analysis with Finite State Machine design, enabling researchers to systematically analyze and design natural kinesthetic interactions between humans and training robots. Her most cited paper, "RoBody Interaction" (2018, 6 citations), introduces this groundbreaking approach, while her 2023 study on multimodal methods for managing deontic rights in interdisciplinary trials (4 citations) extends her work into complex, real-world settings like robot-assisted gait training for students with mobility disabilities. Rasmussen’s research reveals how physical, intimate human-robot coordination shapes social relations and professional boundaries, offering critical insights for designing robots that can truly collaborate as training partners. Her interdisciplinary approach—bridging robotics, linguistics, and sociology—positions her as a key voice in creating robots that move with, not just alongside, humans.