Paul Baxter

TL;DR: The first evaluation iterations have shown the potential of this methodology in terms of adaptation of the robot to the interactant and the resulting influences on engagement, setting the foundation for an ongoing research program that seeks to develop technologies for social robot companions.

TL;DR: It was found that children interacting with a robot using social and adaptive behaviours in addition to the teaching strategy did not learn a significant amount, indicating that while the presence of a physical robot leads to improved learning, caution is required when applying social behaviour to a robot in a tutoring context.

TL;DR: These results provide the first evidence in support of peer-robot behavioural personalisation having a positive influence on learning when embedded in a learning environment for an extended period of time.

TL;DR: The results demonstrate that children overcome strong incorrect biases in the material to be learned, but with no significant differences between embodiment conditions, and suggest that the use of real robots carries an advantage in terms of social presence that could provide educational benefits.

TL;DR: The clinical framework in which the developments are tested, alongside initial data obtained from patients in a first phase of the project using a WoZ set-up mimicking the targeted supervised-autonomy behaviour, are introduced.