Researcher. Designer. Community collaborator.

Chorong ParkPh.D.

Designing robots and interventions
for healthier aging.

I design robots and technology-based interventions that support positive behavior change, well-being, and independence as people age. My work brings together AI, robotics, immersive experiences, and digital health, shaped by the people who use them.

Assistant Professor & Presidential Frontier Faculty
University of Houston

Explore my research Publications

Featured storyKHOU 11

Watch on YouTube

Designing companion robots with older adults

KHOU 11 features all four companion robots used in our work with older adults, showing how their feedback informs designs aimed at supporting health and well-being.

The story also reached audiences beyond Houston.

About me

From lived experience
to thoughtful design.

I am an applied, community-engaged researcher at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. I work alongside older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and community partners to understand not just whether technology works, but whether it belongs in the lives of the people it is meant to support.

My background connects visual arts, UX design, and gerontology. I earned my Ph.D. in Technology, with a minor in Gerontology, and my M.S. in UX Design at Purdue University, following a B.A. in Visual Arts at the University of Illinois.

More than 500 hours of community technology support with older adults helped shape the questions I ask today: Who gets to decide what support looks like? How can design build confidence instead of dependence? And how can emerging technologies make room for delight?

University profile

My current research

Human agency is the through line.

I connect participatory design, behavioral science, and responsible AI to study how technology can fit everyday life.

Explore current projects

Featured research / Meet Elphi

Elphi: small moments, healthier routines

Prototype development / Pilot planning

Elphi is a small social robot being developed to support everyday healthy habits in older adults. Through gentle reminders and encouragement, the project explores water breaks, a usual safe walk, and connection with family or friends, while keeping choices with the person.

The design questionHow can a little encouragement support a healthy routine without taking over the decision?

Concept illustration in three panels: an older adult drinking water, another preparing for a walk, and another using a phone, each beside the cream sheep-shaped Elphi robot. — AI-generated concept illustration based on the Elphi design. These are proposed scenarios, not photographs of participants or completed research.

Three everyday possibilities

What an interaction could look like

Make room for a water break
A gentle reminder, at a chosen moment.
A prompt from Elphi could help someone fit a water break into an existing daily routine, at a time they choose.
Encourage a familiar walk
An invitation, not an instruction.
Elphi could offer encouragement for a usual, safe walk. The robot stays on the table; it does not supervise exercise or verify that a walk happened.
Nudge a human connection
A small cue to reach out.
A friendly reminder could prompt a call to family or a friend on the person's own phone. The aim is to support relationships, not replace them.

Trustworthy AI & companion robots

How can embodied AI respect changing privacy boundaries, support informed choices, and strengthen rather than replace human relationships?

Research on robot privacy

Joy, accessibility & aging

How can AI, AR/VR, and everyday interfaces build on older adults' strengths, challenge technological ageism, and invite learning and play?

Research on emotional experience

Connected care & everyday adoption

How can digital health and care services help people navigate complex decisions while remaining accessible, useful, and sustainable in homes and communities?

See the design foundations

Industry experience & collaborations

Design practice informs
the questions I ask.

My earlier UX projects connect to today's research through a shared concern: helping people feel capable, connected, and in control.

Microsoft Care Team / Team lead

Creating togetherness in family care

I co-led a sponsored team and designed the Wish Board concept, bringing interviews with caregivers and care recipients into a Microsoft Teams experience for sharing wishes and planning family moments.

Connection to my research: Care should make space for a person's own goals and relationships, not only tasks and monitoring.

Read the full case study

Microsoft / Lead Project Owner

Making the next step easier to see

I led research, design sprints, prototyping, and testing for a Microsoft Teams integration concept to help liberal arts students connect their skills and interests with career opportunities.

Connection to my research: Supporting agency means making options understandable, while leaving meaningful decisions with the person.

Read the full case study

These are portfolio design concepts and industry-academic projects, not claims of shipped products or current company endorsements. Project roles and employment experience are distinguished below.

View all projects

MicrosoftSponsored UX projects: Family caregiving and career development in Microsoft Teams.
P&GLead Project Owner: Led an eight-designer team exploring product discovery and shopping tools on Amazon.
DolbyLead Project Owner: Led a seven-designer team exploring community and connection in remote work.
PepsiCoLead Project Owner: Led a seven-designer team exploring digital experiences around physical products.
AdventHealth & UEGroupIndustry-academic collaboration: A Medicare information prototype focused on understandable choices and accessible care navigation.
CernerIndustry-academic collaboration: Patient and provider research to support more personal telemedicine experiences.
Beijing Normal University & PurdueLead Project Owner / Academic collaboration: Led team discussions, UX research, and design exploration for semi-autonomous vehicles through a cross-cultural university collaboration.
PathAIProduct Design Intern: Worked with the product design team, as documented in my portfolio biography.

From healthcare UX to autonomy-preserving AI

Projects with AdventHealth, UEGroup, and Cerner explored care navigation and patient-provider connection. Those design challenges connect to my current focus on accessible support, trust, and adoption beyond the hospital. Work with P&G, Dolby, and PepsiCo adds experience in understanding everyday choices, social connection, and engagement.

The lab I lead

ELARA Lab

ELARA Lab develops and evaluates technologies that help older adults and people living with chronic conditions build healthy routines, stay connected, and maintain control over their lives. We combine participatory design and behavioral science to translate emerging technologies into meaningful, evidence-informed support.

We also encourage innovation and entrepreneurship to help promising research become practical, accessible solutions.

Meet ELARA Students Volunteer

Find my work on Google Scholar