John-John Cabibihan

Bio: John-John Cabibihan is an academic researcher from Qatar University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social robot & Gesture. The author has an hindex of 26, co-authored 120 publications receiving 2023 citations. Previous affiliations of John-John Cabibihan include Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies & National University of Singapore.

Why Robots? A Survey on the Roles and Benefits of Social Robots in the Therapy of Children with Autism

Abstract: This paper reviews the use of socially interactive robots to assist in the therapy of children with autism. The extent to which the robots were successful in helping the children in their social, emotional and communication deficits was investigated. Child–robot interactions were scrutinized with respect to the different target behaviors that are to be elicited from a child during therapy. These behaviors were thoroughly examined with respect to a child’s development needs. Most importantly, experimental data from the surveyed works were extracted and analysed in terms of the target behaviors and of how each robot was used during a therapy session to achieve these behaviors. The study concludes by categorizing the different therapeutic roles that these robots were observed to play, and highlights the important design features that enable them to achieve high levels of effectiveness in autism therapy.

Recent advances in mechanical properties of biopolymer composites: a review

Abstract: In recent years, biopolymers are getting wide attention with the perspective of developing high-performance biocomposites with low environmental impact owing to their unique and useful features such as abundant availability, renewability, ecofriendliness and lightweight. Biopolymer composites are expected to replace many conventional materials in optical, biological, and engineering applications as the investment and research on these materials increase substantially. The desired properties of biopolymer composites can be achieved by blending an appropriate biopolymer with suitable additives, which pave the way for polymer-filler interaction. A variety of parameters such as chemical composition, degradation kinetics and mechanical properties of biopolymer composites can be tailored according to the application needs. The interfacial interactions between the biopolymer and the nanofiller have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of biopolymer composites. The present review is focused on the recent advances in the mechanical properties of various biopolymer composites. In the first part of this review, the unfamiliar mechanical characterization techniques such as fatigue test, nanoindentation and nondestructive testing of biopolymer composites have been discussed. In the later part, the various popular processing techniques of biocomposite fabrication have been discussed. In addition, in the conclusion section, few challenges associated with the processing and mechanical performance of biopolymer composites have been described

Combining Robotic Persuasive Strategies: The Persuasive Power of a Storytelling Robot that Uses Gazing and Gestures

Abstract: Earlier theorizing suggested that an (artificial) agent that combines persuasive strategies will be more persuasive. Therefore, the current research investigated whether a robot that uses two persuasive strategies is more persuasive than a robot that uses only one. Two crucial persuasive strategies that humans use in face-to-face persuasion are gazing and gestures, and therefore we studied the combined and individual contribution of these two persuasive strategies (gestures and gazing) on the persuasiveness of a storytelling robot. A robot told a classical persuasive story about the consequences of lying to forty-eight participants, and was programmed to use (persuasive) gestures (or not) and gazing (or not). Next, we asked participants to evaluate the character in the story thereby assessing the robot’s persuasiveness. Results presented evidence a robot’s persuasiveness is increased when gazing is used. When the robot used gestures, its persuasiveness only increased when it also used gazing. When the robot did not use gazing, using gestures diminished the robot’s persuasiveness. We discuss the implications for theory and design of robots that are more persuasive.

Making robots persuasive: the influence of combining persuasive strategies (gazing and gestures) by a storytelling robot on its persuasive power

Abstract: Social agency theory suggests that when an (artificial) agent combines persuasive strategies, its persuasive power increases. Therefore, we investigated whether a robot that uses two persuasive strategies is more persuasive than a robot that uses only one. Because in human face-to-face persuasion two crucial persuasive strategies are gazing and gestures, the current research investigated the combined and individual contribution of gestures and gazing on the persuasiveness of a storytelling robot. A robot told a persuasive story about the aversive consequences of lying to 48 participants. The robot used persuasive gestures (or not) and gazing (or not) to accompany this persuasive story. We assessed persuasiveness by asking participants to evaluate the lying individual in the story told by the robot. Results indicated that only gazing independently led to increased persuasiveness. Using persuasive gestures only led to increased persuasiveness when the robot combined it with (the persuasive strategy of) gazing. Without gazing, using persuasive gestures diminished robot persuasiveness. The implications of the current findings for theory and design of persuasive robots are discussed.

Pursuing prosthetic electronic skin.

Abstract: Skin plays an important role in mediating our interactions with the world. Recreating the properties of skin using electronic devices could have profound implications for prosthetics and medicine. The pursuit of artificial skin has inspired innovations in materials to imitate skin's unique characteristics, including mechanical durability and stretchability, biodegradability, and the ability to measure a diversity of complex sensations over large areas. New materials and fabrication strategies are being developed to make mechanically compliant and multifunctional skin-like electronics, and improve brain/machine interfaces that enable transmission of the skin's signals into the body. This Review will cover materials and devices designed for mimicking the skin's ability to sense and generate biomimetic signals.

Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons, and Research Bases

Abstract: Traditional engineering instruction is deductive, beginning with theories and progressing to the applications of those theories Alternative teaching approaches are more inductive Topics are introduced by presenting specific observations, case studies or problems, and theories are taught or the students are helped to discover them only after the need to know them has been established This study reviews several of the most commonly used inductive teaching methods, including inquiry learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, case-based teaching, discovery learning, and just-in-time teaching The paper defines each method, highlights commonalities and specific differences, and reviews research on the effectiveness of the methods While the strength of the evidence varies from one method to another, inductive methods are consistently found to be at least equal to, and in general more effective than, traditional deductive methods for achieving a broad range of learning outcomes