Stefan Krause

Universität Koblenz, University of Koblenz and Landau

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About

Stefan Krause is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focused expertise on the psychological and emotional dimensions of service robotics. His work critically examines the "uncanny valley" hypothesis, exploring why highly human-like robots often evoke feelings of eeriness and creepiness. Krause’s major contribution lies in disentangling two distinct aspects of human-likeness—a robot’s capacity to feel emotions versus its capacity to act—and demonstrating through experimental research that perceived emotional capability is a primary driver of uncanniness. His seminal paper, "On the eeriness of service robots with emotional capabilities" (2016), has accumulated over 16 citations, establishing a foundational framework for understanding user discomfort with emotionally expressive machines. This work has significant implications for the design of socially acceptable service robots, guiding engineers and designers toward more intuitive and less unsettling interfaces. Krause’s research is essential reading for students and scholars in human-robot interaction, social robotics, and affective computing, offering a nuanced perspective on how emotional design can either bridge or widen the gap between humans and their robotic counterparts.