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About

Jiaxin Xu is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, social robotics, and health behavior change. Her work explores how social robots can influence human emotions, relationships, and health behaviors—blending insights from psychology, human-computer interaction, and robotics. In her most-cited study, "Does Care Lead to Bonds?" (2025, 7 citations), Xu conducted a lab experiment with 88 participants to demonstrate that caregiving interactions with robots can foster perceived human-robot bonds, laying groundwork for emotionally intelligent robot design. Her research on robot-initiated social control of health behaviors (2024, 3 citations) examines how robots can effectively encourage healthier lifestyles, comparing relationship-focused versus target-focused strategies (2025, 2 citations). By systematically investigating how robots can use social control—borrowing from interpersonal relationship theory—Xu’s contributions are shaping the design of persuasive, socially aware robots for health promotion. Her work is notable for its rigorous experimental methodology and its potential to transform how robots support human well-being, making her a rising voice in socially assistive robotics.