Papers
14
Total Citations
183
H-Index
7
About
Isabel Neto is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, inclusive design, and educational technology, with a particular focus on creating equitable learning experiences for children with visual impairments and neurodiverse populations. Her work addresses a critical gap in assistive technology: the design of social robots that meaningfully support mixed-ability classrooms rather than simply accommodating difference. Through community-based and participatory design methodologies, Neto has developed innovative systems — including tabletop robots for geometry learning, the ACCembly accessible programming environment, and the multimodal Touchibo robotic platform — that leverage physicality, texture, scent, and sound to foster genuine inclusion. Her research has demonstrated that robots can actively mediate group dynamics, helping children with and without visual impairments hear and engage with one another, as evidenced by her aptly titled 2023 paper "The Robot Made Us Hear Each Other." With over 170 cumulative citations across her most recognized works, her influence spans HCI, special education, and robotics. More recently, Neto has expanded her theoretical contributions by interrogating robomorphism from a posthuman perspective, signaling her growing engagement with foundational questions about how humans conceptualize and relate to robotic agents.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Using tabletop robots to promote inclusive classroom experiences34 citations · 2020
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- 4The Robot Made Us Hear Each Other23 citations · 2023
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- 9More-than-human Perspective on the Robomorphism Paradigm5 citations · 2024
- 10