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About

Martina De is a rising scholar in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), whose work critically examines how gender and voice shape our perceptions of robots. Her research sits at the intersection of robot design, social cognition, and assistive technology, with a particular focus on how gendered cues—especially voice—influence people’s mental models of robots. In her most cited work, “Do Your Expectations Match?” (2024, 6 citations), she demonstrates that a robot’s voice and appearance must be congruent to avoid mismatched user expectations, a foundational insight for designing socially acceptable robots. Her subsequent studies, including “From Voice to Form” (2026) and “Sketching Robots” (2025), explore how gender-ambiguous voices can disrupt stereotypical robot gendering, offering designers a path toward more inclusive and less biased HRI. De also addresses practical applications in “From Pain to Design Recommendations for Assistive Robotics” (2023), translating user experiences of physical pain into actionable design guidelines for personalized assistive robots. Through her innovative mixed-methods approach, Martina De is shaping a future where robots are not only functional but also socially conscious and stereotype-aware.