Poorna Panduwawala
Papers
2
Total Citations
7
H-Index
1
About
Poorna Panduwawala is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics and assistive technology for neurodiverse populations. Her primary research areas include human-robot interaction, speech processing, and culturally adaptive interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Panduwawala’s most significant contribution is the development of a multimodal interaction system that leverages the NAO robot for speech-based autism intervention, specifically tailored for Sinhala-speaking children in Sri Lanka. This system integrates language content detection, dialog management, voice synthesis, and gesture synthesis, addressing a critical gap in localized therapeutic tools. Her follow-up work on adaptive robotic voice modulation—customizing pitch, tone, and speech speed using the Kaldi Speech toolkit—demonstrates a nuanced understanding of auditory hypersensitivity in ASD. With her 2024 paper already garnering 6 citations, Panduwawala’s research is gaining traction for its practical, low-resource approach to robot-assisted therapy. Her work not only advances the field of socially assistive robotics but also provides a scalable model for deploying culturally sensitive interventions in underrepresented linguistic communities.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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