Janie Busby Grant
Papers
9
Total Citations
59
H-Index
6
About
Janie Busby Grant is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), whose work explores how people perceive, trust, and engage with social robots in real-world settings. Her research centers on three key areas: the role of physical embodiment in HRI, the design of robots for aged care, and the psychological dimensions of social presence and safety. In her highly cited 2020 study, “To Embody or Not,” she compared human-robot and human-computer interactions, demonstrating that physical embodiment significantly shapes user engagement—a finding with over 13 citations that has influenced subsequent HRI design frameworks. Her 2023 case study on implementing service robots in aged care homes (9 citations) provides actionable insights for an industry under demographic pressure, while her 2021 work on “Feeling Safe” (8 citations) reframes safety not just as a technical requirement but as a subjective, emotional experience critical for public acceptance. Grant has also advanced theory by reframing social presence in HRI (2025, 7 citations) and exploring the uncanny effect of speech on impression formation (2023, 6 citations). Notably, her interdisciplinary project “Arts + Health” (2020) brought a robotic art installation to a rehabilitation hospital, blending artistic experience with human-centered robotics. With a growing portfolio of influential studies, Grant is shaping how we design robots that feel not just functional, but truly social.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2
- 3Feeling Safe8 citations · 2021
- 4Reframing Social Presence for Human Robot Interaction7 citations · 2025
- 5
- 6Arts + Health6 citations · 2020
- 7
- 8
- 9Social Robots: Principles of Interaction Design and User Studies3 citations · 2022