Katriina Heljakka
Papers
10
Total Citations
146
H-Index
7
About
Katriina Heljakka is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of playful learning, human-robotics interaction, and transgenerational play. Her work centers on how smart toys—particularly robot dogs and coding robots—can foster social-emotional development, emotional literacy, and ludic literacy across age groups, from preschoolers to the elderly. Heljakka’s most cited study (50 citations) demonstrates how robot pets serve as “serious toys” that activate social and emotional experiences in elderly people, while her research on gamified coding with toy robots like Dash and Botley (25 citations) reveals how 5-6-year-old Finnish preschoolers engage in playful learning through coding activities. She has also developed a model for enhancing emotional literacy through playful learning with a robot dog (12 citations), comparing interactions with robotic and living dogs. Her notable contributions include the concept of “playing with the opposite of uncanny” (6 citations), exploring how children naturally accept social robots, and longitudinal studies on the Internet of Toys in early education. With a total of over 140 citations across her key papers, Heljakka’s work uniquely bridges early childhood education, gerontology, and human-robot interaction, offering practical insights for designing inclusive, technology-enhanced play experiences that support wellbeing and learning throughout life.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Gamified Coding: Toy Robots and Playful Learning in Early Education25 citations · 2019
- 3Ready, Steady, Move! Coding Toys, Preschoolers, and Mobile Playful Learning19 citations · 2019
- 4
- 5
- 6Smart toys, smart tangibles, robots and other smart things for children7 citations · 2020
- 7Smart Toys, Smart Tangibles, Robots and other Smart Things for Children7 citations · 2022
- 8
- 9Playing with the Opposite of Uncanny6 citations · 2020
- 10