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About

Imran Fanaswala is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), with a focus on creating believable, culturally-aware robotic characters. His work bridges the gap between robotics and the performing arts, arguing that robots designed as compelling characters can evoke stronger social responses from users—a concept explored in his most-cited paper, “Believable Robot Characters” (55 citations). Fanaswala’s major contributions center on bilingual and culturally-sensitive robot design, exemplified by his development of “Hala,” a robot receptionist deployed at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. Through studies like “Dialogue Patterns of an Arabic Robot Receptionist” (cumulatively over 48 citations), he analyzed how native language—Arabic versus English—shapes interaction patterns with a bilingual robot, revealing critical disparities in user engagement. His work on “Interactional Disparities in English and Arabic Native Speakers with a Bi-lingual Robot Receptionist” (8 citations) further highlights the nuances of HRI in Middle Eastern contexts. By integrating cultural sensitivity into robotic dialogue and character design, Fanaswala has advanced the field’s understanding of how robots can serve diverse, multilingual populations, making his research foundational for developers of socially assistive and receptionist robots worldwide.