Ulas Berk Karli

Johns Hopkins University, Yale University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Ulas Berk Karli investigates the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI) and end-user robot programming, with a focus on trust dynamics and accessible development tools. His work on trust repair strategies in HRI, particularly the paper "What If It Is Wrong" (26 citations), examines how power dynamics and repair approaches influence human compliance and trust after robot errors—critical insights for deploying robots in collaborative settings. He also pioneers LLM-aided development with "Alchemist" (23 citations), demonstrating how large language models can empower non-experts to create robot applications through natural language specification rather than traditional coding. This work represents a paradigm shift toward iterative, collaborative human-robot programming. Karli’s research bridges social robotics and democratized development, addressing both the psychological barriers to human-robot teamwork and the technical barriers to robot customization. His contributions are shaping how robots earn and maintain human trust while making robot programming accessible to broader audiences, with implications for manufacturing, healthcare, and service robotics.