Timo Fernhout
Papers
1
Total Citations
23
H-Index
1
About
Timo Fernhout is a researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, child-robot relationships, and conversational AI. His work focuses on how autonomous robotic systems can build meaningful, long-term rapport with young users, particularly through natural dialogue. His most cited paper, "A Child and a Robot Getting Acquainted – Interaction Design for Eliciting Self-Disclosure" (2019, 23 citations), presents a foundational study on designing a robot that can autonomously engage Dutch children in reciprocal self-disclosure—a key mechanism for building trust and friendship. By evaluating the interaction with 75 children, Fernhout demonstrated how carefully crafted conversational strategies can encourage children to open up to a robotic partner, paving the way for sustained, socially intelligent human-robot relationships. This work is notable for its rigorous design methodology and its implications for educational and therapeutic robots. Fernhout’s contributions are shaping how we think about robots not just as tools, but as social companions capable of genuine, developmentally appropriate interaction.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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