Nadine Lang

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Nadine Lang is a researcher at the forefront of human-robot interaction, with a specialized focus on using social robots to support children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Her work centers on developing algorithms and multimodal sensing techniques that enable robots like Softbank’s Pepper to detect and respond to human emotional and physiological states in real time. In her most cited paper (2021, 10 citations), Lang evaluated an algorithm for optical pulse detection in children, designed to allow the Pepper robot to monitor a child’s arousal during socio-emotional tutoring sessions. This contribution is pivotal: by equipping robots with the ability to sense subtle physiological cues, Lang’s research moves beyond scripted interactions toward adaptive, responsive robotic tutors that can better support emotional understanding and regulation in children with ASC. Her work bridges robotics, affective computing, and clinical care, demonstrating how embodied AI can serve as a compassionate tool in therapeutic settings. Lang’s research is laying the groundwork for more intuitive, empathetic robots—machines that don’t just interact, but truly connect.