Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Mattia Coti Zelati is a leading researcher at the intersection of social robotics, human-robot interaction (HRI), and child health. His work explores how robots can serve as persuasive, motivational companions, particularly in pediatric and nutritional contexts. Coti Zelati’s most influential paper, “Child-Robot Interaction: Perspectives and Challenges” (2013), has garnered 159 citations and remains a foundational reference for designing engaging, developmentally appropriate robotic systems for children. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering study “Designing motivational robot: How robots might motivate children to eat fruits and vegetables” (2014, 35 citations), which demonstrated how social robots can influence dietary behavior—a contribution with significant implications for public health and preventive medicine. In related work, Coti Zelati investigated the role of off-activity talk in long-term HRI with diabetic children (2014, 23 citations), showing that conversational rapport-building enhances therapeutic engagement. He also led a pilot study on using new technologies for nutritional education in primary schools (2016, 46 citations), bridging robotics, education, and health. Through these contributions, Coti Zelati has helped shape a new paradigm where robots are not just tools but socially intelligent agents capable of fostering lasting behavioral change in vulnerable populations.