Vinitha Ranganeni is a human-centered roboticist dedicated to building robotic systems with and for people to meaningfully improve their lives. Previously, she was the Human-Robot Interaction Lead at Hello Robot, where she led the technical development and real-world testing of human-centric features for the Stretch robot. Working with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, an occupational therapist, end-users, and their care partners, she focused on making Stretch accessible to people with diverse abilities. Prior to joining Hello Robot, Vinitha received her PhD in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Washington, where her doctoral research focused on human-robot interaction and physically assistive robots, with an emphasis on supporting people with severe motor impairments.

As a New Map of Life Fellow, Vinitha is exploring how robots can help older adults with mild cognitive impairments engage more independently in their daily activities, guided by the expertise and practices of clinicians. More specifically, she is interested in developing proactive robotic systems that help older adults maintain or improve their cognitive abilities and support their ability to age in place. More about Vinitha’s research can be found at vinitharanganeni.com.