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About

K. Aisaka is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), with a focus on deploying social robots in unconstrained, everyday environments—particularly classrooms. Her work centers on designing robots that can assist and interact naturally with people, especially young children. Aisaka’s major contributions include the RUBI/QRIO Project, which laid foundational principles for using interactive robots as instructional tools in education, and groundbreaking studies on dance interaction between the QRIO robot and toddlers. These studies, conducted over several months in real classroom settings, demonstrated how robots could engage children in spontaneous, playful learning activities. Her most cited paper, “Daily HRI Evaluation at a Classroom Environment” (2006, 113 citations), addresses the methodological challenges of performing meaningful HRI experiments outside the lab, offering a framework for evaluating robot behavior in daily life. With over 200 total citations across her key works, Aisaka’s research has significantly advanced the practical deployment of social robots in education, showing that even simple, joyful interactions like dancing can foster engagement and learning. Her work remains essential reading for anyone interested in child-robot interaction and real-world HRI evaluation.