Building up child-robot relationship: from initial attraction towards long-term social engagement

Abstract

To explore social bonds’ emergence with robots, a field study with 49 sixth grade scholars (aged 11-12 years) and 4 different robots was carried out at an elementary school. A subsequent laboratory experiment with 4 of the participants was completed in order to explore social engagement. At school, children’s preferences, expectations on functionality and communication, and interaction behavior were studied. In the lab, recognition, partner’s selection, and dyadic interaction were explored. Both at school and in the lab, data from videotaped direct observation, questionnaires and interviews were gathered. The results showed that different robots’ appearance and performance elicit in children distinctive perceptions and interactive behavior and affect social processes (e. g., role attribution and attachment). The preliminary results will help in the design of robot-based programs for hospitalized children to improve quality of life1