Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza

Ms. Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
11 April 2025 in Electronics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
KKKadri Kristjuhan-Ling
Kadri Kristjuhan-Ling
ODOlga Dunajeva
Olga Dunajeva
MRMare Roosileht
Mare Roosileht
ŽGŽanna Gratšjova
Žanna Gratšjova
The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 highlights recent European efforts to design intelligent devices, systems, and automation that can work alongside human intelligence and enhance human capabilities. In this vision, human–machine interaction (HMI) goes beyond simply deploying machines, such as autonomous robots, for economic advantage. It requires societal and educational shifts toward a human-centric research vision, revising how we perceive technological advancements to improve the benefits and convenience for individuals. Furthermore, it also requires determining which priority is given to user preferences and needs to feel safe while collaborating with autonomous intelligent systems. This proposed human-centric vision aims to enhance human creativity and problem-solving abilities by leveraging machine precision and data processing, all while protecting human agency. Aligned with this perspective, we conducted a systematic literature review focusing on trust and trustworthiness in relation to characteristics of humans and systems in human–robot interaction (HRI). Our research explores the aspects that impact the potential for designing and fostering machine trustworthiness from a human-centered standpoint. A systematic analysis was conducted to review 34 articles in recent HRI-related studies. Then, through a standardized screening, we identified and categorized factors influencing trust in automation that can act as trust barriers and facilitators when implementing autonomous intelligent systems. Our study comments on the application areas in which trust is considered, how it is conceptualized, and how it is evaluated within the field. Our analysis underscores the significance of examining users’ trust and the related factors impacting it as foundational elements for promoting secure and trustworthy HRI.

31 January 2025 in arXiv
Verified
Preprint
Open access
PDF file
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
KKKadri Kristjuhan-Ling
Kadri Kristjuhan-Ling
ODOlga Dunajeva
Olga Dunajeva
MRMare Roosileht
Mare Roosileht
ŽGŽanna Gratšjova
Žanna Gratšjova
The Industry 5.0 transition highlights EU efforts to design intelligent devices that can work alongside humans to enhance human capabilities, and such vision aligns with user preferences and needs to feel safe while collaborating with such systems take priority. This demands a human-centric research vision and requires a societal and educational shift in how we perceive technological advancements. To better understand this perspective, we conducted a systematic literature review focusing on understanding how trust and trustworthiness can be key aspects of supporting this move towards Industry 5.0. This review aims to overview the most common methodologies and measurements and collect insights about barriers and facilitators for fostering trustworthy HRI. After a rigorous quality assessment following the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, using rigorous inclusion criteria and screening by at least two reviewers, 34 articles were included in the review. The findings underscores the significance of trust and safety as foundational elements for promoting secure and trustworthy human-machine cooperation. Confirm that almost 30% of the revised articles do not present a definition of trust, which can be problematic as this lack of conceptual clarity can undermine research efforts in addressing this problem from a central perspective. It highlights that the choice of domain and area of application should influence the choice of methods and approaches to fostering trust in HRI, as those choices can significantly affect user preferences and their perceptions and assessment of robot capabilities. Additionally, this lack of conceptual clarity can be a potential barrier to fostering trust in HRI and explains the sometimes contradictory findings or choice of methods and instruments used to investigate trust in robots and other autonomous systems in the literature.

13 April 2026
Verified
Conference Paper
Open access
GBGabriela Beltrão
Gabriela Beltrão
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
DLDavid Lamas
David Lamas
The role of trust within Human-Computer Interaction is being redefined. With the increasing omnipresence, autonomy, and opacity of technology, users often struggle to understand the capabilities and limitations of systems. In this article, we present the results of an empirical study designed to provide a practical, evidence-based interpretation of trust propensity assessment using the Human-Computer Trust Scale (HCTS). We outline the process used to develop a guideline for interpreting the instrument’s results and explain the rationale for our decisions, advocating for calibrating trust in technology within HCI. Our findings demonstrate that the HCTS is a promising tool for conducting an initial evaluation of propensity to trust, but that such an assessment requires reflection and interpretation that should be considered within the context of the interaction.

12 September 2025
Verified
Book Chapter
Closed access
PDF file
IPIuliia Paramonova
Iuliia Paramonova
GBGabriela Beltrão
Gabriela Beltrão
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
DLDavid Lamas
David Lamas

12 September 2025
Verified
Book Chapter
Closed access
PDF file
IPIuliia Paramonova
Iuliia Paramonova
GBGabriela Beltrão
Gabriela Beltrão
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
DLDavid Lamas
David Lamas

6 October 2025
Verified
Conference Paper
Open access
Debora Conceicao Firmino de SouzaDebora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
Debora Conceicao Firmino de Souza
GBGabriela Beltrão
Gabriela Beltrão
Sonia SousaSonia Sousa
Sonia Sousa
FUFarhat Ul-Ain
Farhat Ul-Ain