User-driven design of robot costume for child-robot interactions among children with cognitive impairment

The involvement of arts and psychology elements in robotics research for children with cognitive impairment is still limited. However, the combination of robots, arts, psychology and education in the development of robots could significantly contribute to the improvement of social interaction skills among children with cognitive impairment. In this article, we would like to share our work on building and innovating the costume of LUCA's robot, which incorporating the positive psychological perspectives and arts values for children with cognitive impairment. Our goals are (1) to educate arts students in secondary arts school on the importance of social robot appearance for children with cognitive impairment, and (2) to select the best costume for future child-robot interaction study with children with cognitive impairments

Targeted DNA insertion in tomato using RNA-guided nucleases

Insertion of novel DNA sequences at defined locations in plant genomes, known as a knock-in (KI), is highly desirable due to its potential for crop trait improvement. However, KIs are difficult to achieve. Previous KI attempts showed variable efficiencies (0.1% to 25%) in different plant species. I aimed to establish a high efficiency KI protocol in tomato and tested a range of variables for their ability to improve rates of KIs by homologous recombination. A 35S promoter or 35S enhancer was targeted upstream of the tomato ANT1 gene, leading to purple pigmentation of tissues upon successful insertion and this was scored to measure KI efficiency. Variables tested included induction of double-stranded breaks (DSB) at the genomic target using CRISPR/Cas9 or a nickase allele to deliver single stranded breaks. Two viral replicons based on different strains (acute or mild) of a Bean Yellow Dwarf virus (BeYDV) Geminivirus were tested to provide a high copy number of the donor template, and for assessing replicon cargo size impact on KI efficiency. In these experiments, KI efficiencies were low and did not reach above 3%. Regeneration of edited plants from excised purple sectors was challenging due to overgrowth of surrounding wild-type cells. To limit the growth of “escape” background tissues and improve the regeneration of plant material containing a KI, I tested the use of a temperature-dependent selectable marker (Degron-NptII) to eliminate cells enabled to survive on selective medium through transient NptII expression rather than stable insertion of the T-DNA. Experiments demonstrated the degron-NptII strategy improved the selection precision of transgenic tissues at the callus, shoot and root formation stages and reduced the occurrence of escapes. Incorporating the degron-NptII strategy and removing the viral replicon (suspected to interfere with the regeneration process) from transformation vectors, further variables were tested for high efficiency KI. Compared to Cas9, a temperature tolerant LbCas12a (ttCas12a) allele achieved higher KI rates (26.2% compared to 20.7%). Inducing three DSBs (one DSB at target site and two at extremities of the donor fragment on T-DNA) instead of one DSB (at genomic target) increased rates of KIs when using Cas9 (12% compared to 22%). The three DSBs approach improved rates of KIs to a lesser extent compared to one DSB when utilising ttLbCas12a (24.2% compared to 28.2%). Additionally, the blight resistance gene Rpi-vnt1 was knocked in alongside a 35S promoter, making a 7.3 kb DNA insert and resulted in a mean of 27.8% KI efficiency. True KI events with full R gene insertion were confirmed by PCR and Sanger sequencing in several samples

Dogs trigger attention during Animal Assisted Intervention in prison: A preliminary study

Animal‑assisted interventions (AAI) seem to offer promising possibilities to prevent daily conditions of inmates (overcrowding or social isolation); however, nothing is known either about the potential processes involved or impact AAI on the development of interactions between inmates. We hypothesized that either dogs would be a source and the centre of attention, thereby that dog may induce more dog‑inmate interactions, or dogs would be social catalyst, i.e. facilitator of social interactions between humans. For that, we analysed first one‑hour AAI sessions involving 10 adult male inmates, 7 service dogs and one dog handler. An observer recorded, using ethological methods, spatial distances between dogs and inmates and between humans, direction of inmates’ gazes and their vocal behaviour. Hypothesis that dogs could be social catalyst was not supported: each inmate interacted mainly with his own dog. Own dog was the almost only exclusive partner with whom they communicated: target of their visual gazes, vocal production and physical contact. Based on literature and this preliminary research, we suggested that the animal/human ratio could be a crucial factor influencing the quality and quantity of AAI interactions

Are robots our future coaches?

International audienceThe robots are coming in our daily lives: companion robots, service robots, sociable robots, assistant robots, and so on. It is difficult to imagine their real roles in the future because humans' expectations seem unclear, probably because robots are new and little known. It is thus important to put human beings in relation with robots to understand what they want. This paper describes an experimentation which explored the added value of a robot in a memory game with 67 persons comparing three conditions: computer game, robot game, or computer and robot game. Results showed that robot increased their performance perception and seemed to give them assurance. Results showed that the robot could be a natural coach for people

StimCards: interactive and configurable Question and Answer game - Users study conclusion

International audienceThis paper highlights conclusions about six experiments conducted with StimCards, an interactive and configurable Question and Answer game. It has been created in the context of the Robadom project whose goal is to propose a homecare robot for seniors. In this project, StimCards is applied to cognitive stimulation. This game is special because users can create their own questions and their own game scripts, and decide which digital devices will be used to interact with. Two experiments have been realized to evaluate the possibility for users to create game scripts. Two other experiments compared children and seniors. They evaluated StimCards acceptability and the preferred users' computing interlocutor. Results showed that it is so easy to create game scripts that children can do it. Both children and seniors liked StimCards, and children preferred to interact with a robot, rather than a computer or a virtual character

College students\u27 attitudes and knowledge concerning the use of alcoholic beverages as implications for educational awareness programs

Drinking by college students in the United States has received increased attention from society over the past decade. Student use of alcoholic beverages is certainly not a recent happening in the colleges and universities of America, but a renewed interest in the use of alcohol among college students has been evident

Technical Brief: Finite Element Modeling of Tight Elastic Knots

We present a methodology to simulate the mechanics of knots in elastic rods using geometrically nonlinear, full three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis. We focus on the mechanical behavior of knots in tight configurations, for which the full 3D deformation must be taken into account. To set up the topology of our knotted structures, we apply a sequence of prescribed displacement steps to the centerline of an initially straight rod that is meshed with 3D solid elements. Self-contact is enforced with a normal penalty force combined with Coulomb friction. As test cases, we investigate both overhand and figure-of-eight knots. Our simulations are validated with precision model experiments, combining rod fabrication and X-ray tomography. Even if the focus is given to the methods, our results reveal that 3D deformation of tight elastic knots is central to their mechanical response. These findings contrast to a previous analysis of loose knots, for which 1D centerline-based rod theories sufficed for a predictive understanding. Our method serves as a robust framework to access complex mechanical behavior of tightly knotted structures that are not readily available through experiments nor existing reduced-order theories

Spontaneous formation of a self-healing carbon nanoskin at the liquid-liquid interface

Biological membranes exhibit the ability to self-repair and dynamically change their shape while remaining impermeable. Yet, these defining features are difficult to reconcile with mechanical robustness. Here, we report on the spontaneous formation of a carbon nanoskin at the oil–water interface that uniquely combines self-healing attributes with high stiffness. Upon the diffusion-controlled self-assembly of a reactive molecular surfactant at the interface, a solid elastic membrane forms within seconds and evolves into a continuous carbon monolayer with a thickness of a few nanometers. This nanoskin has a stiffness typical for a 2D carbon material with an elastic modulus in bending of more than 40–100¿GPa; while brittle, it shows the ability to self-heal upon rupture, can be reversibly reshaped, and sustains complex shapes. We anticipate such an unusual 2D carbon nanomaterial to inspire novel approaches towards the formation of synthetic cells with rigid shells, additive manufacturing of composites, and compartmentalization in industrial catalysis.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version