Collaborative Learning with Social Robots – Reflections on the Novel Co-learning Concepts Robocamp and Robotour

This article presents the Robostudio space for collaborative learning (co-learning) around and with social robots, and two novel co-learning concepts. The first concept, Robocamp, is a home-based one-month learning model for family members’ co-learning with a robot. In this model, a social robot is borrowed for families, and weekly hands-on tasks to be conducted with the robot are provided. The second concept, a co-learning workshop called Robotour, takes place in Robostudio and there, university students and primary school pupils together gain an understanding of different aspects of social robots. Both concepts aim for the cooperation between different learner groups and increasing their knowledge about social robots, interaction with them, and how to operate or program them. We present the current state-of-the-art in the area of educational robots, as well as initial evaluations of our concepts with the authentic target groups. We also reflect on our concepts in light of their benefits and potential. According to the evaluation findings, Robocamp provided an encouraging environment that allowed all the participating family members to participate in the collaborative activity, as well as think critically about the limitations of the robots. Robotour successfully raised different learner groups’ curiosity towards robots, which further resulted in the enhancement of their creativity. The knowledge from this article can be utilized by researchers, designers, and teachers, who are interested in the development and implementation of co-learning activities around and with social robots.Peer reviewe

Co-Learning around Social Robots with School Pupils and University Students – Focus on Data Privacy Considerations

We adopt a novel approach of co-learning between elementary school pupils and university students around social robots and ro- botics. Social robots provide a motivational learning tool for various learning tasks. Having different learner groups together may bring in new insights, perspectives and learning. Although social robots provide an interesting platform for learning, they have challenges in terms of data privacy, as they track, process and transfer personal data. These matters should be carefully considered. We describe a qualitative and exploratory study including two phases: 1) design of co-learning activities (N=16), and 2) evaluation of co-learning activities (N=56). All co-learning tasks were developed by utilizing privacy-sensitive robotics approach and the tasks included some learning content about data privacy. The evaluation was conducted as co-learning workshops with school pupils of 10 to 15 years and international university students. We report findings about the co- learning experience of these learner groups, as well as their data privacy learnings on social robots. We also present considerations for educational robotics from the data privacy perspective.Peer reviewe

Exploring the Personality Design Space of Robots : Personalities and Design Implications for Non-Anthropomorphic Wellness Robots

Non-anthropomorphic robots can be cost-effective and efficient choice in certain context in comparison to social or humanoid robots. However, introduction of non- anthropomorphic robots can evoke uncertainty and anxiety due to novelty of technology. The goal of this paper is to explore personality design space for non-anthropomorphic well- ness robots in office environment to foster acceptance among users. Through Participatory Design approach, we explored appropriate personalities for a well-being robot, which would detect employees’ sitting posture and suggest small wellness interventions. We addressed the following research questions: (i) How can personalities be designed and integrated to non- anthropomorphic wellness robots to promote users’ acceptance? (ii) How do the users perceive designed personalities of non- anthropomorphic wellness robot in the office context? We conducted one contextual inquiry (n=5) and one co-design workshop (n=15) followed by evaluation (n=5) in IT office environment with office employees . As a contribution to the paper, we present personalities and design implications for non-anthropomorphic wellness robot in the office context. Our contribution will serve as a guideline for designers to explore and expand their knowledge on designing robot personalities for non-anthropomorphic robots in the context.Peer reviewe

Let’s Walk at Work – Persuasion through the Brainwolk Walking Meeting App

Contemporary knowledge work is typically characterized by sedentary work habits, which in turn have an impact on workers' well-being and creativity. Persuasive technologies can be designed as a means for reducing the amount of sitting at work. Here, we discuss the results from our research to gain design knowledge and insights on persuasive technologies that encourage physically active ways of work. We introduce "Brainwolk", a walking meeting concept that is mediated with a mobile app. As a part of a broader design research process, we present the user experience (UX) findings based on a one-month field study (N=11) of Brainwolk. We utilize our findings in the design of an improved application concept (Brainwolk 2.0) to support and persuade walking meetings. We also confer insights for persuasive design to encourage physically active ways of work at knowledge work context, e.g., focusing on the discreet persuasion. Finally, we discuss the potential of combining digital and non-digital elements to form powerful persuasion techniques.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Supporting Remote Social Robot Design Collaboration with Online Canvases: Lessons Learned from Facilitators’ and Participants’ Experiences

Social robot design projects typically involve multidisciplinary teamwork and collaboration, adopt a Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach, and deal with physical (tangible) objects, i.e., robots. HCD takes a human to the centre point of the design process. A typical activity in HCD are design workshops where a facilitator is needed to guide and moderate the task-related and interactional activities throughout the session. Facilitation is also usually needed in longer-term design projects or courses to guide participants through the different phases of design during several sessions. Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most design activities including social robot design were rapidly transferred to online mode. Designing for tangible objects is challenging in online settings because the interaction experience with a physical object is hard to demonstrate online. In this article, we report how we harnessed online canvases to support both short-term social robot design workshops and a long-term design course. Based on participants’ feedback and facilitators’ experiences, we report lessons learned from utilizing collaborative design canvases for creative social robot design projects that specifically focus on early stages and concept ideation. We propose practical guidelines for canvas-based online facilitation focusing on creative design workshops and projects. In addition, we discuss the lessons learned concerning social robot design activities taking place in online mode. To respond to the challenges of designing tangible robots in a fully online mode, we suggest a Hybrid Robotic Design Model (HRDM), where the participants work in contact with facilitators, other participants and robots at specific points, while the other phases are conducted online.publishedVersionPeer reviewe