Emotion recognition and human-robot interaction: a systematic review of methods and applications

Physical human-robot interaction involves a tightly coupled cognitive interaction with the user. The emotional state of the user is therefore a key factor influencing engagement, motivation, and long-term acceptance. This review explores recent developments in emotion-aware technologies, particularly facial expression recognition and multimodal affect detection, and their potential to make assistive robots more adaptive and human-centred. By analysing current methodologies, emerging trends, and ethical considerations, we show how the integration of emotional intelligence can transform robotic assistance, shifting from reactive mechanisms to genuinely empathetic, socio-psychological, and context-aware assistive partners.