This Robot Can Help Kids with Special Needs Communicate
Ellen Smith — May 15, 2017 — Tech
References: devpost & techcrunch
A team of sophomores from Rutgers University revealed their intuitive classroom robot at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon in New York. The robot, Robota, is a social bot with the intention to assist in special education classrooms by helping children communicate, especially if they are nervous to approach a teacher.
Through the use of computer vision and sentiment analysis, Robota is able to identify facial indicators of grief, confusion, stress or anger. If Robota detects a student is displaying any of these emotions, she approaches them and asks if something is wrong. When a student confides in Robota, she can translate their words into a computerized text she is able to analyze. If a student is in extreme distress, or needs the immediate attention of an adult, the classroom robot will send a text summarizing the issue to the student's teacher, or parent.
The researchers behind this bot are hoping children with special needs will be more like to confide and communicate with Robota.
Through the use of computer vision and sentiment analysis, Robota is able to identify facial indicators of grief, confusion, stress or anger. If Robota detects a student is displaying any of these emotions, she approaches them and asks if something is wrong. When a student confides in Robota, she can translate their words into a computerized text she is able to analyze. If a student is in extreme distress, or needs the immediate attention of an adult, the classroom robot will send a text summarizing the issue to the student's teacher, or parent.
The researchers behind this bot are hoping children with special needs will be more like to confide and communicate with Robota.
Trend Themes
1. Intuitive Classroom Robots - Robota's use of computer vision and sentiment analysis to aid special education classrooms can inspire further development of similar educational technologies.
2. Social Bots for Children - Robota's innovative design can pave the way for social bots aimed at helping children communicate during times of stress and anxiety.
3. Facial Indicators Technology - Robota's ability to identify facial indicators of grief, confusion, stress or anger shows potential for development in other industries involving human emotions or mental health.
Industry Implications
1. Education - Robota's classroom application shows promise for development in the education industry for students with special needs.
2. Healthcare - Robota's sentiment analysis and facial indicators technology can offer opportunities for disruptive innovation within the healthcare industry for mental health and patient monitoring.
3. Robotics - Robota's empathetic and intuitive design presents exciting possibilities for advancements in the robotics industry, specifically social robots.
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