Naomi Fitter

2026 State of Inclusive Excellence

Naomi Fitter
Associate Professor, School of Mechanical, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Advancing Inclusive Excellence Through Research.
How does your work, program, or research contribute to improving lives, communities, or systems in Oregon and beyond?

My assistive robotics work can improve the lives of young children with disabilities, as well as older adults in community living settings. Currently, we do work with the Oregon Veterans' Home (OVH) in Lebanon, OR, and in the past we have also collaborated with the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) in Eugene, OR.

In what ways does your work expand access, opportunity, inclusion, or participation for groups who have historically faced barriers?

Our robotics research can help end users such as veterans in the OVH to achieve their own wellness goals, such as preserving a greater range of motion and more ability to complete activities of daily living over time. These outcomes can support a better quality of life during aging.

How does your program integrate community partnership or community engaged approaches to strengthen impact?

We also work with campus entities like the Center for Healthy Aging Research in our work, and collaborate closely with experts in gerontology such as Dr. Carolyn Aldwin.

How does your team or program support student success, learning pathways, or a sense of belonging for the people you serve?

Students train as part of this work in the robotics field, and also gain skills working with end users in human-robot interaction, as well as expertise in assistive and health robotics specifically. Student participation in my assistive robotics research is essential to its success.

What strategies do you use to ensure your work is inclusive, culturally responsive, or grounded in the lived experiences of the communities you collaborate with?

We use human-centered design, interacting with real end users to help us design systems that can be successful. This process includes important steps like working to understand end user goals and motivations.

What outcomes or impacts have you observed so far for individuals, communities, or the broader OSU ecosystem?

With our early intervention work, we studied cases in which children achieved more motor practice during trials with a robot, compared to experiences with a mobility aid alone. Larger samples are needed, but this could be evidence that assistive robots could support outcomes like earlier onset of walking.

In the older adult work, we have completed early pilot experiments that show the benefits of physically embodied robots compared to virtual agents on a screen. We have also tested early prototypes for physical exercise support, cognitive exercise support, and reminiscence activities.

What does national or statewide recognition (if applicable) say about the importance or value of your work?

The federal funding of the work by the NIH shows that the country, as well as local communities like the OVH, are invested in this type of research. We hope that assistive technologies in older adult care can help care providers to successfully support the wellness needs of residents of skilled nursing facilities.

Looking ahead, what gives you hope and what future opportunities or needs do you see for advancing inclusive excellence in your area?

I am excited about using human-centered design to create technologies that can actually align with end user goals and values, to make a next generation of technology that benefits humanity.

Naomi Fitter