Susan J. Lederman
Papers
12
Total Citations
1,105
H-Index
9
About
Susan J. Lederman is a pioneering researcher in haptic perception — the science of touch and manual exploration — whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how humans and robots identify and interact with objects through tactile sensation. Her most influential contributions center on the systematic study of **exploratory procedures (EPs)**, the specialized hand movement patterns people deploy when extracting object properties such as texture, weight, and contour. Her 1993 paper "Extracting object properties through haptic exploration" (388 citations) and her 1990 study on knowledge-driven haptic classification (257 citations) established foundational frameworks demonstrating that haptic exploration is neither random nor passive, but purposive and highly structured. Lederman also made significant contributions to multisensory perception, notably investigating how haptic and visual cues interact in phenomena like the size-weight illusion. Her computational modeling work proposed formal architectures linking exploratory behavior to object identification, bridging cognitive science and robotics. Indeed, a recurring theme across her career is the translation of biological touch insights into robotic tactile sensing systems, reflecting both the breadth and applied relevance of her scholarship. With hundreds of citations across multiple decades, Lederman's research remains essential reading for anyone entering the fields of haptics, sensorimotor cognition, or human-robot interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Extracting object properties through haptic exploration388 citations · 1993
- 2Haptic classification of common objects: Knowledge-driven exploration257 citations · 1990
- 3The role of haptic versus visual volume cues in the size-weight illusion189 citations · 1993
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- 5Lessons From the Study of Biological Touch for Robotic Tactile Sensing26 citations · 1992
- 6Object exploration in one and two fingered robots26 citations · 2005
- 7Task–Driven Extraction of Object Contour by Human Haptics: Part 118 citations · 1991
- 8Lessons From The Study Of Biological Touch For Robotic Haptic Sensing16 citations · 1992
- 9Task-Driven Extraction of Object Contour by Human Haptics: Part 29 citations · 1991
- 10Flexible Exploration By Human And Robotic Haptic System8 citations · 2005