Papers
26
Total Citations
1,034
H-Index
15
About
Hee Rin Lee is a leading researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), participatory design, and cross-cultural studies of technology. Her work fundamentally challenges technology-centric approaches to robot design, instead centering human values, cultural contexts, and the needs of marginalized or underserved communities. Lee's groundbreaking research on participatory design methodologies for social robots (2017, 212 citations) has reshaped how the field approaches the co-creation of robotic systems, while her cross-cultural studies across South Korea, Turkey, and the United States (2014, 149 citations) demonstrated that robot design preferences are far from universal — a finding with significant implications for global deployment of social technologies. Lee has made particularly meaningful contributions to aging and care research, advocating for a strengths-based framing of assistive robotics that celebrates rather than pathologizes older adulthood (2018, 101 citations), and designing robots specifically to support dementia caregivers — a chronically overlooked population (2019, 96 citations). Her 2022 analysis of how humans are configured within HRI research reflects her commitment to ethical, socially conscious scholarship. With over 750 citations across her career, Lee's work stands as a vital humanizing force in robotics research.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Steps Toward Participatory Design of Social Robots212 citations · 2017
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- 4Reframing Assistive Robots to Promote Successful Aging101 citations · 2018
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- 6Coordinating Clinical Teams57 citations · 2019
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- 9Configuring Humans: What Roles Humans Play in HRI Research30 citations · 2022
- 10Social Robots in Therapy and Care24 citations · 2019