A review of educational humanoid robot designs for children

• Main Authors: Tay, Andrie Hui Mei, Lee, Zi Yi
• Other Authors: Xu Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138229
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the progressive advancement in technology, artificial intelligence in the form of social robots have increasingly been developed and implemented into various settings to improve the lives of mankind. Numerous humanoid robots have since been employed in educational settings across the world to support the learning and development of children. Studies have found that the appearance of humanoid robots can significantly influence users’ perception, however, children’s perceptions and attitudes toward robots are still relatively unexplored in the field of robotics research. Hence, the present research aims to review the design considerations of humanoid robots and their effect on children’s overall perception and engagement towards these robots. It was concluded that humanoid robots’ facial expression, gender and similarity to humans greatly influence children’s attitude towards these robots. The construction of educational humanoid robots for children thus requires careful considerations of these factors to ensure that these robots are accepted among children, possibly widening the opportunities of such innovations to be included in greater areas of our lives.