Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Tom Yeh’s research sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction, educational technology, and robotics, with a particular focus on empowering young children and end-user programmers. His most cited work, “Reactile” (42 citations), pioneers a tangible approach to programming swarm user interfaces, moving beyond screen-based controls to direct physical manipulation. In early childhood, Yeh’s “Child-Robot Interaction to Integrate Reflective Storytelling Into Creative Play” (39 citations) introduces a stuffed animal robot that scaffolds reflection during creative play, a critical metacognitive skill. He further explores child agency in “Voice Design to Support Young Children’s Agency in Child-Agent Interaction” (9 citations), demonstrating how giving children control over agent representations enhances playfulness. Yeh’s contributions also extend to robotics accessibility: “Abstracting perception and manipulation in end-user robot programming using Sikuli” (5 citations) and “SikuliBot” (2 citations) simplify robot programming by abstracting perception and control into visual scripting. His recent “Dimensions of Reflection Coding Scheme” (2 citations) provides a novel tool to measure reflection in young children’s speech, advancing assessment in early childhood technology. With a career spanning foundational work in end-user robotics and innovative child-robot interaction, Yeh’s research consistently bridges technical innovation with developmental psychology, shaping how we design for creativity, agency, and reflection from the earliest stages of learning.