Towards long-term social child-robot interaction: using multi-activity switching to engage young users

Social robots have the potential to provide support in a number of practical domains, such as learning and behaviour change. This potential is particularly relevant for children, who have proven receptive to interactions with social robots. To reach learning and therapeutic goals, a number of issues need to be investigated, notably the design of an effective child-robot interaction (cHRI) to ensure the child remains engaged in the relationship and that educational goals are met. Typically, current cHRI research experiments focus on a single type of interaction activity (e.g. a game). However, these can suffer from a lack of adaptation to the child, or from an increasingly repetitive nature of the activity and interaction. In this paper, we motivate and propose a practicable solution to this issue: an adaptive robot able to switch between multiple activities within single interactions. We describe a system that embodies this idea, and present a case study in which diabetic children collaboratively learn with the robot about various aspects of managing their condition. We demonstrate the ability of our system to induce a varied interaction and show the potential of this approach both as an educational tool and as a research method for long-term cHRI

Game-Based Learning, Gamification in Education and Serious Games

The aim of this book is to present and discuss new advances in serious games to show how they could enhance the effectiveness and outreach of education, advertising, social awareness, health, policies, etc. We present their use in structured learning activities, not only with a focus on game-based learning, but also on the use of game elements and game design techniques to gamify the learning process. The published contributions really demonstrate the wide scope of application of game-based approaches in terms of purpose, target groups, technologies and domains and one aspect they have in common is that they provide evidence of how effective serious games, game-based learning and gamification can be

Integrating Socially Assistive Robots into Language Tutoring Systems. A Computational Model for Scaffolding Young Children's Foreign Language Learning

Schodde T. Integrating Socially Assistive Robots into Language Tutoring Systems. A Computational Model for Scaffolding Young Children's Foreign Language Learning. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2019.Language education is a global and important issue nowadays, especially for young children since their later educational success build on it. But learning a language is a complex task that is known to work best in a social interaction and, thus, personalized sessions tailored to the individual knowledge and needs of each child are needed to allow for teachers to optimally support them. However, this is often costly regarding time and personnel resources, which is one reasons why research of the past decades investigated the benefits of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). But although ITSs can help out to provide individualized one-on-one tutoring interactions, they often lack of social support. This dissertation provides new insights on how a Socially Assistive Robot (SAR) can be employed as a part of an ITS, building a so-called "Socially Assistive Robot Tutoring System" (SARTS), to provide social support as well as to personalize and scaffold foreign language learning for young children in the age of 4-6 years. As basis for the SARTS a novel approach called A-BKT is presented, which allows to autonomously adapt the tutoring interaction to the children's individual knowledge and needs. The corresponding evaluation studies show that the A-BKT model can significantly increase student's learning gains and maintain a higher engagement during the tutoring interaction. This is partly due to the models ability to simulate the influences of potential actions on all dimensions of the learning interaction, i.e., the children's learning progress (cognitive learning), affective state, engagement (affective learning) and believed knowledge acquisition (perceived learning). This is particularly important since all dimensions are strongly interconnected and influence each other, for example, a low engagement can cause bad learning results although the learner is already quite proficient. However, this also yields the necessity to not only focus on the learner's cognitive learning but to equally support all dimensions with appropriate scaffolding actions. Therefore an extensive literature review, observational video recordings and expert interviews were conducted to find appropriate actions applicable for a SARTS to support each learning dimension. The subsequent evaluation study confirms that the developed scaffolding techniques are able to support young children’s learning process either by re-engaging them or by providing transparency to support their perception of the learning process and to reduce uncertainty. Finally, based on educated guesses derived from the previous studies, all identified strategies are integrated into the A-BKT model. The resulting model called ProTM is evaluated by simulating different learner types, which highlight its ability to autonomously adapt the tutoring interactions based on the learner's answers and provided dis-engagement cues. Summarized, this dissertation yields new insights into the field of SARTS to provide personalized foreign language learning interactions for young children, while also rising new important questions to be studied in the future

MOTIBOT: IL COACH VIRTUALE PER INTERVENTI DI COPING SANO PER ADULTI CON DIABETE MELLITO

Il diabete mellito (DM) è una malattia metabolica autogestita, in cui se l'individuo non è motivato o non è in grado di gestire regolarmente il proprio DM, i risultati medici e psicosociali saranno scarsi. Il DM è più di una condizione di salute fisica: ha impatti comportamentali, fisiologici, psicologici e sociali, e richiede alti livelli di motivazione per seguire le raccomandazioni cliniche e adottare comportamenti sani. A questo scopo, le linee guida dell'American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) hanno introdotto il costrutto di coping sano per identificare le strategie di coping per ridurre i sintomi di depressione, ansia, stress e disagio emotivo legato al diabete, migliorando anche il benessere degli adulti con DM. In questo contesto, i Virtual Coaches (VCs) sono diventati un importante risorsa nel supporto e nella gestione delle barriere comuni nel contesto dell'aderenza ai comportamenti sani tra gli adulti con DM. Tuttavia, pochi sono i VC specificamente sviluppati a fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM. L'obiettivo principale della presente tesi è stato, infatti, lo sviluppo di un VC per fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM di tipo 1 (T1DM) o DM di tipo 2 (T2DM). Più specificamente, questo VC mirava a motivare gli adulti con DM a ridurre sintomi di depressione, ansia, stress, il disagio emotivo legato al diabete, e a migliorare il loro benessere, incoraggiandoli ad acquisire e coltivare strategie di coping psicosociale sano. Queste abilità di coping facevano riferimento alle linee guida dell'AADE e quindi alla pratica della meditazione; in questo studio è stata, infatti, applicata la Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. La presente tesi è articolata secondo tre studi. Lo studio 1 mirava a fornire prove meta-analitiche sull'efficacia degli interventi eHealth nel sostenere il benessere psicosociale e medico degli adulti con T1DM o T2DM. Lo studio 2 mirava a testare il prototipo del VC simulato, cioè Wizard of Oz (WOZ), attraverso la piattaforma di messaggistica WhatsApp per 6 settimane, con due sessioni a settimana. In particolare, questo studio ha indagato l'accettabilità preliminare e la User Experience (UX) del protocollo di intervento, che sarà incorporato nel futuro VC. Infatti, il metodo di progettazione è stato duplice. Da un lato, è stato applicato il metodo WOZ, in cui gli studenti di psicologia credevano di interagire con un VC; invece, stavano comunicando con un essere umano. Dall'altro lato, è stato utilizzato il modello Obesity-Related Behavioural Intervention Trials (ORBIT), in particolare le sue prime fasi, poiché favorisce un approccio iterativo. Lo studio 3, seguendo le fasi successive del modello ORBIT, mirava a valutare l'efficacia preliminare del VC, chiamato Motibot - abbreviazione di Motivational bot - sviluppato attraverso una combinazione di Natural Language Processing (NLU) e regole pre-strutturate. Un totale di 13 adulti italiani con DM (Mage = 30.08, SD = 10.61) hanno interagito con Motibot attraverso l'applicazione di messaggistica Telegram per 12 sessioni, in cui il paziente poteva pianificare l'appuntamento secondo le sue esigenze: ha interagito con Motibot una o due sessioni a settimana. Motibot è stato percepito come motivante, incoraggiante e capace di innescare un'auto-riflessione sulle proprie emozioni: gli utenti e i pazienti hanno riferito di aver avuto un'esperienza molto positiva con Motibot. Motibot può essere uno strumento utile per fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM; potrebbe essere prescritto dal diabetologo come misura preventiva per il benessere del paziente e/o quando il paziente presenta sintomi psicosociali lievi e moderati. L'approccio di design centrato sull'utente e il concetto di bidirezionalità tra fattori psicosociali e medici sono punti chiave nello sviluppo di un trattamento digitale personalizzato.Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a self-managed, metabolic disease, in which if the individual is unwilling, unmotivated, or unable to regularly self-manage their DM, the medical and psychosocial outcomes will be poor. Indeed, DM is more than a physical health condition: it has behavioural, physiological, psychological, and social impacts, and demands high levels of motivation in order to follow the clinical recommendations and adopt healthy behaviours. To this end, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) guidelines introduced the healthy coping construct to identify healthy coping strategies for reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and diabetes-related emotional distress while also improving the well-being of adults with DM. Virtual Coaches (VCs) have recently become more prevalent in the support and management of common barriers in the context of adherence to healthy behaviours among adults with DM, in particular those regarding medical and physical behaviours. However, few VCs were found to be specifically aimed at providing psychosocial support to adults with DM. The main aim of the present thesis was, indeed, the development and implementation of a VC for the provision of psychosocial support to adults with Type 1 (T1DM) or Type 2 DM (T2DM). More specifically, this VC aimed at motivating adults with DM to reduce depression, anxiety, perceived stress symptoms, diabetes-related emotional distress, and improve their well-being, by encouraging them to acquire and cultivate psychosocial healthy coping strategies. These coping skills referred to the AADE guidelines and thus to practicing meditation; in this study, the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has been applied. The present thesis is articulated according to three studies. Study 1 aimed at providing meta-analytical evidence on the efficacy of eHealth interventions in supporting the psychosocial and medical well-being of adults with T1DM or T2DM. Study 2 aimed at testing the prototype of the simulated VC, namely Wizard of Oz (WOZ), via the WhatsApp messaging platform for 6-week, with two sessions per week. In particular, this study investigated the preliminary acceptability and the User Experience (UX) of the intervention protocol, which will be incorporated into the future VC. Indeed, the design method was two-fold. On the one hand, the WOZ method was applied, in which psychology students believed that they were interacting with a VC, instead they were communicating with a human being. On the other hand, the Obesity-Related Behavioural Intervention Trials (ORBIT) model was used, particularly its early phases, since it favours an iterative approach. Study 3, following the next phases of the ORBIT model, aimed at assessing the preliminary efficacy of the VC, called Motibot—the abbreviation for Motivational bot—developed through a combination of Natural Language Processing (NLU) and hand-crafted rules. A total of 13 Italian adults with DM (Mage = 30.08, SD = 10.61) interacted with Motibot through the Telegram messaging application for 12 sessions, in which the patient planned the appointment according to his/her needs: he/she interacted with Motibot one or two sessions per week. Therefore, Motibot was perceived as motivating, encouraging and able to trigger self-reflection on one’s own emotions: users and patients reported having a very positive experience with Motibot. Motibot, thus, can be a useful tool to provide psychosocial support to adults with DM; as such, it might be prescribed by the diabetologist as a preventive measure for the patient’s well-being and/or when the patient presents mild and moderate psychosocial symptoms. The user-centred design approach and the concept of bidirectionality between psychosocial and medical factors are key points in the development of a personalised treatment within the digital intervention

Child–robot relationship formation: A narrative review of empirical research

This narrative review aimed to elucidate which robot-related characteristics predict relationship formation between typically-developing children and social robots in terms of closeness and trust. Moreover, we wanted to know to what extent relationship formation can be explained by children’s experiential and cognitive states during interaction with a robot. We reviewed 86 journal articles and conference proceedings published between 2000 and 2017. In terms of predictors, robots’ responsiveness and role, as well as strategic and emotional interaction between robot and child, increased closeness between the child and the robot. Findings about whether robot features predict children’s trust in robots were inconsistent. In terms of children’s experiential and cognitive states during interaction with a robot, robot characteristics and interaction styles were associated with two experiential states: engagement and enjoyment/liking. The literature hardly addressed the impact of experiential and cognitive states on closeness and trust. Comparisons of children’s interactions with robots, adults, and objects showed that robots are perceived as neither animate nor inanimate, and that they are entities with whom children will likely form social relationships. Younger children experienced more enjoyment, were less sensitive to a robot’s interaction style, and were more prone to anthropomorphic tendencies and effects than older children. Tailoring a robot’s sex to that of a child mainly appealed to boys

State of the art of audio- and video based solutions for AAL

Working Group 3. Audio- and Video-based AAL ApplicationsIt is a matter of fact that Europe is facing more and more crucial challenges regarding health and social care due to the demographic change and the current economic context. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has stressed this situation even further, thus highlighting the need for taking action. Active and Assisted Living (AAL) technologies come as a viable approach to help facing these challenges, thanks to the high potential they have in enabling remote care and support. Broadly speaking, AAL can be referred to as the use of innovative and advanced Information and Communication Technologies to create supportive, inclusive and empowering applications and environments that enable older, impaired or frail people to live independently and stay active longer in society. AAL capitalizes on the growing pervasiveness and effectiveness of sensing and computing facilities to supply the persons in need with smart assistance, by responding to their necessities of autonomy, independence, comfort, security and safety. The application scenarios addressed by AAL are complex, due to the inherent heterogeneity of the end-user population, their living arrangements, and their physical conditions or impairment. Despite aiming at diverse goals, AAL systems should share some common characteristics. They are designed to provide support in daily life in an invisible, unobtrusive and user-friendly manner. Moreover, they are conceived to be intelligent, to be able to learn and adapt to the requirements and requests of the assisted people, and to synchronise with their specific needs. Nevertheless, to ensure the uptake of AAL in society, potential users must be willing to use AAL applications and to integrate them in their daily environments and lives. In this respect, video- and audio-based AAL applications have several advantages, in terms of unobtrusiveness and information richness. Indeed, cameras and microphones are far less obtrusive with respect to the hindrance other wearable sensors may cause to one’s activities. In addition, a single camera placed in a room can record most of the activities performed in the room, thus replacing many other non-visual sensors. Currently, video-based applications are effective in recognising and monitoring the activities, the movements, and the overall conditions of the assisted individuals as well as to assess their vital parameters (e.g., heart rate, respiratory rate). Similarly, audio sensors have the potential to become one of the most important modalities for interaction with AAL systems, as they can have a large range of sensing, do not require physical presence at a particular location and are physically intangible. Moreover, relevant information about individuals’ activities and health status can derive from processing audio signals (e.g., speech recordings). Nevertheless, as the other side of the coin, cameras and microphones are often perceived as the most intrusive technologies from the viewpoint of the privacy of the monitored individuals. This is due to the richness of the information these technologies convey and the intimate setting where they may be deployed. Solutions able to ensure privacy preservation by context and by design, as well as to ensure high legal and ethical standards are in high demand. After the review of the current state of play and the discussion in GoodBrother, we may claim that the first solutions in this direction are starting to appear in the literature. A multidisciplinary 4 debate among experts and stakeholders is paving the way towards AAL ensuring ergonomics, usability, acceptance and privacy preservation. The DIANA, PAAL, and VisuAAL projects are examples of this fresh approach. This report provides the reader with a review of the most recent advances in audio- and video-based monitoring technologies for AAL. It has been drafted as a collective effort of WG3 to supply an introduction to AAL, its evolution over time and its main functional and technological underpinnings. In this respect, the report contributes to the field with the outline of a new generation of ethical-aware AAL technologies and a proposal for a novel comprehensive taxonomy of AAL systems and applications. Moreover, the report allows non-technical readers to gather an overview of the main components of an AAL system and how these function and interact with the end-users. The report illustrates the state of the art of the most successful AAL applications and functions based on audio and video data, namely (i) lifelogging and self-monitoring, (ii) remote monitoring of vital signs, (iii) emotional state recognition, (iv) food intake monitoring, activity and behaviour recognition, (v) activity and personal assistance, (vi) gesture recognition, (vii) fall detection and prevention, (viii) mobility assessment and frailty recognition, and (ix) cognitive and motor rehabilitation. For these application scenarios, the report illustrates the state of play in terms of scientific advances, available products and research project. The open challenges are also highlighted. The report ends with an overview of the challenges, the hindrances and the opportunities posed by the uptake in real world settings of AAL technologies. In this respect, the report illustrates the current procedural and technological approaches to cope with acceptability, usability and trust in the AAL technology, by surveying strategies and approaches to co-design, to privacy preservation in video and audio data, to transparency and explainability in data processing, and to data transmission and communication. User acceptance and ethical considerations are also debated. Finally, the potentials coming from the silver economy are overviewed.publishedVersio