Social robot for interaction with children

Abstract

Assistive robotics is a field that has gained more visibility recently due to the social impacts it can provide. Currently, robots can be used to assist people in mobility, healthcare and even in behavioral issues, and thus, they are also known as social robots. This work shows the first contact of typically developing children with a robot, which will be used for interaction with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder further. The first contact with typically developed children is important to know if the robot is able to catch their interests and, which improvements the children would recommend about the robot shape and behavior. In total, 36 typically developing children had a first contact with the social robot and the experiment took place in elementary schools. Social skills, such as eye gaze, tactile interaction, communication, proximity and social engagement were evaluated. Surveys asked about the facial expressions of the robot and children’s likes, dislikes and feelings. The results showed that the children performed the social abilities satisfactorily, understood the robot emotional facial expressions easily, liked the robot and suggested improvements.