Stefania Brighenti

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Stefania Brighenti is an emerging researcher working at the intersection of social assistive robotics, human-robot interaction, and semantic technologies. Her work focuses on leveraging robotic systems to support therapeutic and educational interventions, particularly for vulnerable populations including autistic children and individuals requiring functional rehabilitation. Brighenti's research explores how robots like Pepper and NAO can be meaningfully integrated into clinical and therapeutic settings, working alongside psychologists, educators, and speech therapists to promote autonomy and functional skill acquisition. One of her notable contributions involves the application of ontologies and open data to personalize social interactions between humans and robots, developed through the innovative Sugar, Salt & Pepper laboratory. This work demonstrates a thoughtful approach to making robotic therapy more adaptive and contextually relevant to individual users. Her parallel project on Social Assistive Robotics for Autistic Children further highlights her commitment to using technology as a tool for improving the lives of neurodivergent individuals by enhancing therapeutic outcomes through structured human-robot engagement. Although early in her citation trajectory — with her most recognized works accumulating citations since 2022 — Brighenti's interdisciplinary approach bridging artificial intelligence, robotics, and healthcare positions her as a promising contributor to the growing field of assistive and therapeutic robotics.