Sawyer Collins
Collins College, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University
Papers
10
Total Citations
136
H-Index
6
About
Sawyer Collins is a leading researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, digital health, and gerontechnology, whose work focuses on designing socially assistive robots (SARs) for mental health support. Collins’s most significant contribution is pioneering the use of SARs as in-home therapeutic tools for older adults with depression, demonstrating through user-centered design studies that these robots can alleviate symptoms and provide companionship. Their foundational paper, “More than just friends” (65 citations), established key design recommendations for sensing and interaction, while subsequent work on personalization, privacy, and autonomous behavior adaptation has shaped the field. Collins has also developed innovative co-design methods, including a tabletop role-playing game to help users imagine robot integration in daily life. With over 135 total citations, Collins’s research has been published in top venues like ACM/IEEE HRI and has influenced both academic discourse and real-world healthcare applications. Their work on cross-cultural human-robot team interaction and privacy models further underscores their commitment to creating ethical, effective, and accessible robotic companions for vulnerable populations.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
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- 3Sensing Companions14 citations · 2018
- 4Social Robots for Socio-Physical Distancing12 citations · 2020
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- 6What Skin Is Your Robot In?8 citations · 2023
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