Marlena R. Fraune, Ph.D.
Dr. Marlena R. Fraune (they/them) works to improve today’s robots for diverse users. As Founder and CEO of Plover: Human-Centered Technology Consulting, they draw on their experience in industry and academia. They leverage their real-world experience researching and improving robots for industry, via Toyota Research Institute, Amazon, and Kaleidoscope Innovations, to determine current robot needs and capabilities, and user needs and preferences for those robots. They leverage their decade of academic research experience – including five years as a professor at New Mexico State University, and visiting research positions in Germany and Japan – to develop and answer overarching research questions to meet users’ real needs with robots, such as: How can new technology serve people? How can we enhance this technology for people across cultures? How can we transcend current accessibility guidelines to create accessible robots?
