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About

Lisa Wise is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics and paediatric rehabilitation. Her work focuses on the design, deployment, and clinical integration of socially assistive robots (SARs) to improve therapeutic outcomes for children undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Wise’s major contribution lies in her commitment to *in situ* design—developing robotic systems directly within clinical environments, with continuous input from patients, parents, and therapists. Her most-cited paper (37 citations) details the adaptation of a general-purpose social robot for paediatric rehabilitation, emphasizing the critical role of context-aware design. She has also investigated the practical challenges of SAR adoption, including the time costs imposed on therapists and the factors influencing physiotherapists' acceptance during ongoing clinical deployment. Wise’s work, conducted in collaboration with the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, demonstrates a rare integration of engineering, human-robot interaction, and real-world clinical practice. By prioritizing stakeholder engagement and iterative prototyping, she has laid a foundation for robots that are not only technically capable but also genuinely useful and accepted in demanding healthcare settings.