Matteo Sirizzotti

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Matteo Sirizzotti’s research sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction, social perception, and affective communication, exploring how people intuitively judge and connect with robots. In his most cited work, “You look so young, you look so cute” (2025, 7 citations), he investigates how a robot’s physical appearance—specifically height, head size, and limb proportions—shapes perceptions of its age, cuteness, and mental abilities. Using 3D models in a VR setting with 122 participants, Sirizzotti reveals that subtle anthropomorphic cues can dramatically influence how we attribute social and cognitive traits to machines, a finding with deep implications for robot design and social robotics ethics. Earlier, his paper “Expression-rich communication through a squeezable device” (2014, 4 citations) introduced Squeeze Me, a soft, squeezable interface that allows users to grab the attention of the Care-O-bot robot through expressive, tactile signals. This work pioneers non-verbal, haptic communication in smart environments, demonstrating that even simple physical interactions can convey rich emotional intent. Sirizzotti’s contributions bridge engineering and psychology, showing that the way robots look and feel directly impacts human trust, engagement, and social bonding—a critical insight for designing robots that feel more like companions than tools.