“Let's read a book together”: A Long-term Study on the Usage of Pre-school Children with Their Home Companion Robot

Abstract

In several countries, social robots are increasingly accessible within homes, particularly in those with pre-school-aged children. However, research on social robots has mostly been conducted in laboratory or classroom settings, and their long-term use has received little attention. Additionally, while there is a growing body of literature on CRI in a variety of domains such as education and health, less is known about the interactions between children and social robots in home settings during daily activities. Conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, this article describes a longitudinal mixed-method study that examines children's interactions with their home reading companion robot - Luka. Focusing on parental perspectives, we examined how children interact with robots over time and revealed that a social robot with reading as its primary function has the potential to both attract parental buyers and engage children in long-term use of the robot's diverse features. We offer recommendations for social robot designers and product developers targeting younger users.