734 research outputs found
The case of classroom robots: teachersâ deliberations on the ethical tensions
Robots are increasingly being studied for use in education. It is expected that robots will have the potential to facilitate childrenâs learning and function autonomously within real classrooms in the near future. Previous research has raised the importance of designing acceptable robots for different practices. In parallel, scholars have raised ethical concerns surrounding children interacting with robots. Drawing on a Responsible Research and Innovation perspective, our goal is to move away from research concerned with designing features that will render robots more socially acceptable by end users toward a reflective dialogue whose goal is to consider the key ethical issues and long-term consequences of implementing classroom robots for teachers and children in primary education. This paper presents the results from several focus groups conducted with teachers in three European countries. Through a thematic analysis, we provide a theoretical account of teachersâ perspectives on classroom robots pertaining to privacy, robot role, effects on children and responsibility. Implications for the field of educational robotics are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Exploring the User Needs and Experience of the University Guidance Robot
During the orientation week, new students face different challenges that are hectic. International students are especially confused about the new education system and come across many difficulties to overcome these challenges. There are too many information, which can be overwhelming. Not only for internationals, but for Finnish students also face information management issues. Although there are tutors assigned to help and take care of them, the tutors are not available at all times. Thus, we decided to design an interactive university guidance robot that could help the students whenever needed with relevant information.
Our aim was to understand the usersâ expectations and design the guidance robot to provide relevant information. There were also latent user needs and these can vary according to different culture. Thus, we addressed the needs according to Finnish, Chinese and Indian culture and aim to design the robot according to the needs of the target users. In the second phase, we conducted trials with new students to understand the experience of the participants. Moreover, we tried find out what was the preferred tasks among the students.
We used Pepper robot as the platform for guidance robot. According to our research, the new students found the robot useful and it successfully addressed the needs of the participants. Moreover, the university guidance robot evoked experiences like nurture, fellowship, natural/humanlike and playfulness.
In this thesis, we report how we collected the usersâ expectation, analyzed the data to gather design implications, implemented functionalities in the university guidance robot and performed trials
Proceedings of the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) 2011
These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2011 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference(SPARC). It includes papers from PhD students in the arts and social sciences, business, computing, science and engineering, education, environment, built environment and health sciences. Contributions from Salford researchers are published here alongside papers from students at the Universities of Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham City, Chester,De Montfort, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester
Boosting children's creativity through creative interactions with social robots
Creativity is an ability with psychological and developmental benefits. Creative levels are
dynamic and oscillate throughout life, with a first major decline occurring at the age of 7 years
old. However, creativity is an ability that can be nurtured if trained, with evidence suggesting an
increase in this ability with the use of validated creativity training. Yet, creativity training for
young children (aged between 6-9 years old) appears as scarce. Additionally, existing training
interventions resemble test-like formats and lack of playful dynamics that could engage children
in creative practices over time. This PhD project aimed at contributing to creativity stimulation
in children by proposing to use social robots as intervention tools, thus adding playful and
interactive dynamics to the training. Towards this goal, we conducted three studies in schools,
summer camps, and museums for children, that contributed to the design, fabrication, and
experimental testing of a robot whose purpose was to re-balance creative levels. Study 1 (n =
140) aimed at testing the effect of existing activities with robots in creativity and provided initial
evidence of the positive potential of robots for creativity training. Study 2 (n = 134) aimed at
including children as co-designers of the robot, ensuring the robotâs design meets childrenâs
needs and requirements. Study 3 (n = 130) investigated the effectiveness of this robot as a tool
for creativity training, showing the potential of robots as creativity intervention tools. In sum,
this PhD showed that robots can have a positive effect on boosting the creativity of children.
This places social robots as promising tools for psychological interventions.Criatividade Ă© uma habilidade com benefĂcios no desenvolvimento saudĂĄvel. Os nĂveis de
criatividade sĂŁo dinĂąmicos e oscilam durante a vida, sendo que o primeiro maior declĂnio
acontece aos 7 anos de idade. No entanto, a criatividade Ă© uma habilidade que pode ser nutrida se
treinada e evidĂȘncias sugerem um aumento desta habilidade com o uso de programas validados
de criatividade. Ainda assim, os programas de criatividade para crianças pequenas (entre os 6-9
anos de idade) sĂŁo escassos. Adicionalmente, estes programas adquirem o formato parecido ao
de testes, faltando-lhes dinùmicas de brincadeira e interatividade que poderão motivar as crianças
a envolverem-se em prĂĄticas criativas ao longo do tempo. O presente projeto de doutoramento
procurou contribuir para a estimulação da criatividade em crianças propondo usar robÎs sociais
como ferramenta de intervenção, adicionando dinùmicas de brincadeira e interação ao treino.
Assim, conduzimos trĂȘs estudos em escolas, campos de fĂ©rias, e museus para crianças que
contribuĂram para o desenho, fabricação, e teste experimental de um robĂŽ cujo objetivo Ă© ser uma
ferramenta que contribui para aumentar os nĂveis de criatividade. O Estudo 1 (n = 140) procurou
testar o efeito de atividade jĂĄ existentes com robĂŽs na criatividade e mostrou o potencial positivo
do uso de robÎs para o treino criativo. O Estudo 2 (n = 134) incluiu crianças como co-designers
do robÎ, assegurando que o desenho do robÎ correspondeu às necessidades das crianças. O
Estudo 2 (n = 130) investigou a eficĂĄcia deste robĂŽ como ferramenta para a criatividade,
demonstrando o seu potencial para o treino da criatividade. Em suma, o presente doutoramento
mostrou que os robÎs poderão ter um potencial criativo em atividades com crianças. Desta
forma, os robÎs sociais poderão ser ferramentas promissoras em intervençÔes na psicologia
ChildâRobot Interaction in Education
Advances in the field of robotics in recent years have enabled the deployment of robots in a multitude of settings, and it is predicted that this will continue to increase, leading to a profound impact on society in the future. This thesis takes its starting point in educational robots; specifically the kind of robots that are designed to interact socially with children. Such robots are often modeled on humans, and made to express and/or perceive emotions, for the purpose of creating some social or emotional attachment in children. This thesis presents a research effort in which an empathic robotic tutor was developed and studied in a school setting, focusing on childrenâs interactions with the robot over time and across different educational scenarios. With support from the Responsible Research and Innovation Framework, this thesis furthermore sheds light on ethical dilemmas and the social desirability of implementing robots in future classrooms, seen from the eyes of teachers and students. The thesis concludes that children willingly follow instructions from a robotic tutor, and they may also develop a sense of connection with robots, treating them as social actors. However, childrenâs interactions with robots often break down in unconstrained classroom settings when expectations go unmet, making the potential gain of robots in education questionable. From an ethical perspective, there are many open questions regarding stakeholdersâ concerns on matters of privacy, roles andresponsibility, as well as unintended consequences. These issues need to be dealt with when attempting to implement autonomous robots in education on a larger scale
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