Papers
24
Total Citations
1,106
H-Index
13
About
Dr. Sofiane Boucenna is a leading researcher at the intersection of developmental robotics, human-robot interaction, and assistive technologies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His work explores how robots can learn social and emotional skills through imitation, mirroring the developmental processes of human infants. A central contribution is his pioneering use of imitation games as a communication tool, enabling robots to learn facial expression recognition, posture identification, and even individual recognition without explicit teaching signals. This foundational research has been highly influential, with his review on interactive technologies for autistic children garnering over 300 citations. Dr. Boucenna’s applied impact is equally profound; his studies on joint attention induction tasks with robots and the quantification of engagement patterns have provided novel assessment and intervention tools for children with ASD. By demonstrating how robots can learn from and adapt to partners ranging from adults to children with autism, his work has opened new pathways for using social robots in therapeutic and educational settings, making him a key figure in the development of socially intelligent machines.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Interactive Technologies for Autistic Children: A Review303 citations · 2014
- 2Evaluating the Engagement with Social Robots226 citations · 2015
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- 10Development of joint attention and social referencing18 citations · 2011