Papers
29
Total Citations
2,760
H-Index
20
About
Marcel Heerink is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on the acceptance and social impact of assistive robots among vulnerable populations, especially elderly users and hospitalized children. His work has fundamentally shaped how researchers and designers understand the psychological and social dimensions of robotic companionship in care settings. Heerink's most influential contribution, a 2009 review of assistive social robots in elderly care (935 citations), established a critical foundation for the field by systematically examining how robots can support the health and psychological well-being of older adults. Complementing this, he developed practical methodological tools for measuring robot acceptance, including a widely adopted evaluation toolkit (261 citations) that bridges engineering and social science perspectives. His repeated investigations into social presence, enjoyment, and conversational expressiveness revealed the nuanced psychological factors that drive elderly users toward or away from robotic technology. Beyond eldercare, Heerink extended his expertise to pediatric settings, producing a systematic review (92 citations) exploring how socially assistive robots can alleviate stress in hospitalized children. Collectively, his body of work—accumulating over 2,200 citations—has made him an authoritative voice in designing robots that are not merely functional, but genuinely accepted and embraced by the humans they serve.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Assistive social robots in elderly care: a review935 citations · 2009
- 2Measuring acceptance of an assistive social robot: a suggested toolkit261 citations · 2009
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- 6The Influence of a Robot's Social Abilities on Acceptance by Elderly Users129 citations · 2006
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- 8Studying the acceptance of a robotic agent by elderly users94 citations · 2006
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