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About

Juan Javier’s research lies at the exciting intersection of human-computer interaction, tangible interfaces, and assistive robotics, with a particular focus on creating inclusive, playful technologies for vulnerable populations. His major contributions span three key domains: pediatric care, early childhood education, and gerontechnology. His most influential work, a systematic review on game technologies for pediatric patients (57 citations), established a foundational framework for using interactive systems in clinical settings. Javier is perhaps best known for pioneering tangible-mediated robotics—his Tangibot system (37 citations) demonstrated how physical, graspable interfaces can support cognitive games for ageing users, while his award-nominated work on tangible-mediated robots for kindergarten instruction (22 citations) showed that these systems significantly boost engagement and collaborative problem-solving in young children. He has also broken new ground in Animal-Computer Interaction, developing depth-based tracking systems for playful environments with animals (28 citations). More recently, his gesture elicitation studies for controlling ground mini-robots (2019) have opened new avenues for child-robot interaction design. With over 160 total citations and a consistent focus on usability evaluation, Javier’s work is widely cited by researchers in interaction design, educational technology, and human-robot interaction.