The Social and Physical Human-Robot Interaction (SaPHaRI) Lab at Case School of Engineering is led by a team of researchers who aim to create novel robots to improve overall mental health and well-being. Get to know us.
Current Lab Members
Dr. Alexis E. Block
Role: Principal Investigator
Bio: Alexis E. Block directs the SaPHaRI Lab at Case Western Reserve University. She is the first hire for the Human Fusions Institute as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering and an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (by courtesy). She was previously a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California (UCLA). She earned her doctorate in computer science from ETH Zürich in 2021. During her doctorate, she was part of the Center for Learning Systems (CLS) and conducted research at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, and robotics in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Research interests: Social and physical human-robot interaction, social robotics, haptics, tactile sensing,
Honors and awards: Computing Innovations Fellowship (CI Fellows) 2021-2023, Otto Hahn Medal 2022, Best Hands-On Demonstration at EuroHaptics 2022
See Block's work on Google Scholar
Current Graduate Students
Oussama Alyounes
Role: Graduate researcher
Major: Robotics, PhD
Expected graduation: Spring 2030
Research interests: Haptics and HRI with a focus on societal impact
Honors and awards: Valedictorian at The Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST), Academic Excellence at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), Six publications
Current Project: Affect-Sensing Wearables
Austin Wilson
Role: Graduate researcher
Major: Computer Engineering, MS
Expected graduation: Spring 2026
Research interests: Social Robotics & Human Machine Teaming
Honors and awards: Ohio Space Grant Consortium Fellowship
Current Project: AstroPsych
Current Undergraduate Students
Alice Liu
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Cognitive Science & Computer Science
Expected graduation: May 2026
Research interests: Human-robot interaction, human factors, affective computing, and design
Current Project: Affect-Sensing Wearables
Andrew Chen
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Expected graduation: Spring 2025
Research interests: Signal Processing, Computer Vision, and Firmware
Current Project: Compliant Gripper
Jacob Hyman
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Electrical Engineering
Expected graduation: Spring 2026
Research interests: Electrical Engineering, Logic Design, and sensing
Current Project: Compliant Gripper
Kaleb Kim
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Computer Science
Expected graduation: Fall 2026
Research interests: Computer vision and energy
Honors and awards: Dean's High Honors (2024), Gold President's Volunteer Service Award (2022), Veale Snyder Fellow for 2024-25, GLEI ThinkEnergy Fellow
Current Project: TurtleBots
Noah Medrano
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Computer Science & Integrated Humanities, Science, and Technology
Expected graduation: Spring 2027
Research interests: Affective computing and social robotics
Honors and awards: Mandel Fellow
Current Project: Affect-Sensing Wearables
Phurinat "Chester" Pinyomit
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Smart Materials Technology & Robotics and AI
Expected graduation: March 2025
Research interests: Human-robot Interaction, Mobile Robotics
Current Project: TurtleBots
Lab Alumni
Cole E. Smith
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Electrical and computer engineering
Expected graduation: May 2026
Research interests: Human-robot interaction, renewable energy, integrated circuits
Honors and awards: Dean’s List at Ohio State University, Aug 2022 - May 2023, National Merit Finalist 2022
Venky Kanniganti
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Biomedical engineering and electrical engineering, pre-health
Expected graduation: May 2024
Research interests: Neuromodulation
Jack Wragan
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Biomedical engineering and electrical engineering, pre-health
Expected graduation: May 2024
Research interests: Pain management and cancer treatment
Arnav Deshmukh
Role: Undergraduate researcher
Major: Biomedical engineering and electrical engineering
Expected graduation: May 2024
Research interests: Electrical stimulation for rehabilitation