Lichang Yao
Papers
1
Total Citations
2
H-Index
1
About
Lichang Yao is a researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction and cognitive psychology, with a primary focus on how perceptual and evolutionary mechanisms shape robot appearance design. In their most-cited work, "A Behavior Study on the Effect of Baby Schema on Face Discrimination for Robot Appearance Design" (2021), Yao investigates how the "baby schema"—the set of infantile features that trigger caregiving instincts—influences people’s ability to discriminate between robot faces. This study provides empirical evidence that incorporating neotenous traits into robotic design can enhance user engagement and aesthetic appeal, a contribution that bridges ethology and robotics. Although early in their career, with 2 citations to date, Yao’s work is foundational for designers and engineers aiming to create socially acceptable robots. By grounding robot aesthetics in evolutionary biology, Yao offers a principled approach to making machines more intuitively appealing—a critical step as robots become everyday companions. Their research promises to inform future studies on trust, anthropomorphism, and user acceptance in human-robot interaction.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
- 1