Negar Rashidi

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About

Negar Rashidi is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction and affective robotics, best known for her groundbreaking work on the "Survivor Buddy" project—a social medium robot designed to provide emotional support and companionship in isolated or crisis environments. Her research focuses on the design and construction of affective robots that can express and respond to human emotions, bridging the gap between engineering and artistic expression. Rashidi's major contributions include developing a multi-disciplinary design process for affective robots, as detailed in her 2011 paper, which outlines a three-step approach to creating emotionally expressive machines on schedule and within budget. Her work has been cited over 11 times, with her most notable achievement being the integration of Survivor Buddy into the PBS science reality show "SciGirls," where four middle-school girls used the robot to illustrate the scientific process to a national audience. This outreach effort underscores Rashidi's commitment to making robotics accessible and engaging for young learners. Her research continues to influence the field of social robotics, particularly in the design of robots that can foster human connection and resilience in challenging contexts.