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About

Ilaria Baroni is a pioneering researcher in child-robot interaction and social robotics, whose work sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction, pediatric health support, and adaptive robotic systems. She is perhaps best known for her contributions to the ALIZ-E project, a landmark initiative exploring long-term, adaptive social interaction between robots and children, which produced two of her most influential papers — "Multimodal Child-Robot Interaction: Building Social Bonds" (206 citations) and "Child-Robot Interaction: Perspectives and Challenges" (159 citations). These works have fundamentally shaped how researchers and designers think about sustained, context-sensitive robot behavior in child-facing applications. Baroni has made particularly significant contributions to the use of social robots in pediatric healthcare, investigating how robotic companions can support diabetic children through emotional engagement, disease management education, and motivational assistance. Her research extends further into nutrition education and behavior change, examining how robots might encourage healthier eating habits in young users. Beyond health applications, her studies on turn-taking, multi-session interaction, and adaptive dance tutoring demonstrate a broad methodological range. With over 700 cumulative citations, Baroni's work continues to serve as essential reading for researchers designing socially intelligent, child-centered robotic systems.