Jeffrey Klow

Oregon State University, Cornell University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Jeffrey Klow is a human-robot interaction researcher whose work explores the psychological and practical challenges of living with robots. His research centers on three key areas: mental models of autonomous systems, privacy in telepresence robotics, and the cognitive demands of remote presence technology. Klow’s most influential work, “Mental Models of a Mobile Shoe Rack” (2021, 13 citations), is a landmark qualitative study that reveals how people develop—or fail to develop—accurate mental models of robots during long-term, in-the-wild use. This paper challenges assumptions about robot transparency and has shaped subsequent research on explainable AI. In his earlier work on remote presence systems (2017, 7 citations; 2019, 4 citations), Klow identified a critical tension between privacy, utility, and cognitive load, showing that users often sacrifice privacy for functionality but struggle with the mental effort of remote operation. His findings have informed the design of more intuitive telepresence interfaces. Klow’s contributions are notable for their methodological rigor—combining qualitative fieldwork with cognitive science frameworks—and for addressing real-world adoption barriers. His research is essential reading for anyone designing robots that must be understood and trusted by non-expert users.