Papers
14
Total Citations
153
H-Index
7
About
Marta Couto is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics, child development, and inclusive education. Her work centers on designing autonomous human-robot interactions for therapeutic and educational settings, with a particular focus on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and visual impairments. Couto’s landmark project, “Project INSIDE” (45 citations), established foundational frameworks for semi-unstructured social interaction between robots and children in autism therapy, demonstrating how robots can adapt to dynamic social cues. She further advanced inclusive classrooms by showing how tabletop robots can teach geometry and handwriting to students with visual impairments (34 citations), breaking down spatial barriers through embodied interaction. A recurring theme in her research is perspective-taking—the cognitive skill of understanding another’s spatial viewpoint. Through studies like “Can you guide me?” and “Motivating Children to Practice Perspective-Taking Through Playing Games with Cozmo,” Couto has shown that robots can effectively scaffold this skill in young children, with implications for STEM learning. Her work on reward and punishment strategies in robot persuasion (8 citations) also explores how social robots can motivate behavior change. With over 135 total citations and a growing portfolio of studies on action sequencing and adaptive robot behavior, Couto is shaping a future where robots are not just tools, but collaborative partners in fostering social, cognitive, and inclusive growth.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Using tabletop robots to promote inclusive classroom experiences34 citations · 2020
- 3
- 4Can you guide me?9 citations · 2020
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10Persuasive Social Robots using Reward/Coercion Strategies5 citations · 2020