Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Yaacov Koren is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics and education, whose work is redefining how we think about automated teaching assistants and human-robot collaboration. His primary research areas include Robot-Supported Collaborative Learning (RSCL), Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in educational settings, and socially assistive robotics for healthcare. Koren’s most influential contribution is his groundbreaking 2020 study on using social robots as teaching assistants for small group facilitation in higher education, which has garnered 88 citations and demonstrates how robots can bridge the gap when instructors are overwhelmed by multiple student groups. His 2019 follow-up work (36 citations) further validated this approach, showing that social robots can provide real, near-term value in classrooms. Beyond education, Koren has made notable strides in healthcare robotics, authoring a 2022 study (23 citations) exploring how socially assistive robots can build trust with post-stroke patients during long-term rehabilitation. He also developed "Patricc" (16 citations), a novel robotic platform designed specifically for toddlers in home environments—a largely overlooked demographic in social robotics. Koren’s work is characterized by its practical, human-centered approach, consistently addressing real-world gaps in both learning and therapeutic contexts.