‘Socially Assistive’ Bots to Help Kids Read, Exercise and More
By Moore, Elizabeth Armstrong; CNET News,Publication Date: April 12, 2012
Article reports on a project to develop social robots that help children with special needs develop cognitive and social skills as well as healthy habits such as exercise. Funded by the National Science Foundation with a 10 million dollar grant, the project is led by a team of 17 principal investigators at Yale, Stanford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California. The scientists project that at the end of five years, they will have developed robots that can guide a child toward long term educational goals and be customized for his or her particular needs. Rather than replacing human teachers and caregivers, the robots will serve as supplementary instructors in settings were fewer children are getting the individual attention they need. The team expects each robot to be able to engage a child for a year. The article includes a 3 minute video in which the project leader outlines the plans for the project.
Published by: CNET Networks (Website:http://news.com.)
Link to text: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57413338-76/
Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8m65cawkMc&feature=player_embedded
