# Anti-Abuse Tortoise Robots The 'Shelly' Robot Teaches Kids to Be Gentle with a Robot Companion By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2018-03-16 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/a-robot-companion References: [spectrum.ieee.org](https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/shelly-robotic-tortoise-helps-kids-learn-that-robot-abuse-is-a-bad-thing) As young children learn to express themselves, behaviors that involve hitting and physically hurting others can be addressed and corrected to set healthy boundaries for interacting with others—'Shelly' is a [robot companion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/slowmo-ai) aims to teach kids similar appropriate ways to engage with technology. As [robotic companions and toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mini-robots) have the potential to become commonplace in both classrooms and households of the future, Shelly serves as a turtle-shaped robot that teaches kids to interact respectfully with them. The project from South Korea’s Naver Labs and Seoul National University has Shelly give [emotional feedback](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kakaloom) from a child's responses by providing a "happy" response for a gentle, positive touch and retreating to its shell if mistreated, appearing "frightened." ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 26% | Activity: 62% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/youth) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Robotic Companions:** The rise of robotic companions presents opportunities for creating innovative interactions and emotional feedback systems. - **Educational Robotics:** The use of robots in educational settings offers the chance to teach important social skills and behaviors to young children. - **Emotionally Responsive Technology:** Developing emotionally responsive technology, like Shelly the tortoise robot, opens up possibilities for enhancing human-robot interactions and personalizing user experiences. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Educational Technology:** The educational technology industry can explore the integration of emotionally responsive robots for teaching and interacting with young children. - **Robotics and AI:** The robotics and AI industry can develop advanced emotional feedback systems to create more engaging and empathetic robotic companions. - **Toy and Games:** The toy and games industry can leverage emotionally responsive robots to provide interactive and educational play experiences for children. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Self-Dock Aquatic Robot Technology](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/roboturtle.md) - [Playful AI Companions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/snorble.md) - [Educational Language Learning Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pudding-beansprout-robot.md) - [Socially Motivating Companion Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mori-companion-robot.md) - [AI Emotional Interface Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/feelbot.md) - [Programmable Pocket-Sized Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kt2-kungfu-turtle.md) - [Adorable Cyber-Pet Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cyberpet.md) - [Autism-Focused Training Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/movia.md) - [Playful AI Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-tools-for-children.md)