UNBC Research explores social robots

Misty is one of three social robots being used in a research project led by Dr. Shruti Chandra, an assistant professor of computer science at UNBC. The project examines how children interact with autonomous robots and how those interactions can support independent learning.

“This robot is capable of doing many other activities, for sure,” said Chandra. “But in terms of learning and in terms of interaction, we have also deployed offline HoloLens. So it means the robot is not fully scripted.”

The study builds on years of robotics research conducted by Chandra and her team. This latest phase, however, focuses specifically on children and the ways technology can be designed to enhance educational experiences rather than simply introduce new tools into a classroom.

The findings were recently published by Chandra and five student co-authors at the 21st Association for Computing Machinery/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. Their paper, titled Social Robots on the Loose: Supporting Children’s Independent Learning in the Wild, details the results of a summer-long experiment involving social robots and school-aged children.

To carry out the research, the team partnered with the UNBC Active Minds summer camp program. The robots were incorporated directly into camp activities, giving children an opportunity to interact with the technology in a natural learning environment.

For many of the participants, it was their first encounter with a social robot.

Over a two-month period, researchers worked with seven summer camps, each lasting between three and five days. Approximately 150 children between the ages of six and 12 took part in the project.

Participants interacted with a humanoid robot through ten educational games designed specifically for different developmental stages. The activities were intended to test how children responded to the robot, how engaged they remained over time, and whether meaningful learning could occur through largely autonomous interactions.

According to the research team, the results were encouraging.

The study found that autonomous social robots can be successfully integrated into educational settings and are generally well accepted by children. Researchers also identified notable differences in how children of various ages engaged with the technology and perceived the robot.

At the same time, the project highlighted some challenges that still need to be addressed before robots become commonplace in classrooms. Researchers observed issues related to maintaining attention, ensuring activities occur at appropriate times, and improving the technical reliability of the systems in real-world environments.

For Chandra, the long-term goal is clear.

“What we are trying to do here is to develop a system that can be fully autonomous, and children can learn through the robot without any technical or adult supervision,” she said. “That’s what we are trying to do.”

The research team is taking a gradual approach toward achieving that vision.

Work involving children began last year with a different robot known as QT. That project laid the groundwork for the current study and provided valuable insight into how young learners respond to robotic teaching assistants.

“Last year we did the research with (QT) and it went really well,” said undergraduate student researcher Piyush Daryanani. “And the children, they were also learning a lot with the robot. It was kind of engaging.”

Daryanani said this year’s research expanded on the earlier work by introducing more physical activities rather than relying primarily on touchscreen interactions.

“So now this year, this is a second summer camp, with the physical activities instead of touch screens,” he said. “So this is how I got into this robotics lab.”

The project has also been a learning experience for the student researchers involved.

Undergraduate researcher Anupriya Shaju said one of the most rewarding aspects was seeing the curiosity children brought to their interactions with the robots.

“When we introduced a robot in the classroom, and they were so excited to know what’s their name is or if they can name it,” she said.

Children were fascinated by questions that adults might overlook, she added.

“They trained a recent robot with the human. Like, it has arms, it has eyes. Does it have legs?” said Shaju. “So it was really fun working with kids. They think different from us. Like really curious about everything.”

That curiosity became an important part of the study.

Rather than treating the robot as a machine, many children appeared to approach it almost as a social companion. Researchers observed students asking questions, attempting to build relationships with the robots and showing enthusiasm for repeated interactions.

Those responses provide valuable information for designers seeking to create educational technology that feels approachable and engaging.

However, Chandra emphasizes that building robots for education is not simply about developing advanced technology. She says educators themselves must play a central role in shaping how those systems are designed and used.

“In the first phase, we try to understand what are the challenges of educators, what are their needs? What are their preferences?” Chandra explained. “Do they even want robots or not?”

The questions are crucial because not every classroom challenge requires a technological solution, she said.

“And if they want robots for certain activities, then for which activity they do not want? I don’t want to impose technology to people, but rather I want to design technology with people, for people.”

In that process, teachers become key partners rather than simply end users.

“In this case, actually, educators are the central designers of the technology,” Chandra said.

While fully autonomous classroom robots may still be years away, the findings suggest there is potential for carefully designed social robots to support learning and engagement among young students.

For Chandra and her research team, the next challenge will be taking lessons learned from summer camps and applying them to real educational settings.

Their target remains schools across Northern and Central British Columbia, where future generations of students may one day find a robotic learning companion waiting in the classroom alongside their teachers.

by Cheryl Jahn

UNBC Research explores social robots

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