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The need for critically reflecting on the deceptive nature of advanced technologies, such as social robots, is urging academia and civil society to rethink education and the skills needed by future generations. The promotion of critical thinking, however, remains largely unaddressed within the field of educational robotics. To address this gap and question if and how robots can be used to promote critical thinking in young children's education, we conducted an explorative design study named Bringing Shybo Home. Through this study, in which a robot was used as a springboard for debate with twenty 8-to 9-year-old children at school, we exemplify how the deceptive nature of robots, if embraced and magnified in order for it to become explicitly controversial, can be used to nurture children's critical mindset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in design methods and tools has been steadily growing in HRI. Yet, design is not acknowledged as a discipline with specific epistemology and methodology. Designerly HRI work is validated through user studies which, we argue, provide a limited account of the knowledge design produces. This paper aims to broaden current understanding of designerly HRI work and its contributions by unpacking what designerly knowledge is and how to produce it. Through a critical analysis of current HRI design literature, we identify a lack of work dedicated to understanding the conceptual implications of robotic artifacts. These, in fact, are implicit carriers of crucial HRI knowledge that can challenge established assumptions about how a robot should look, act, and be like. We conclude by discussing a set of practices desirable to legitimize designerly HRI work, and calling for further research addressing the conceptual implications designerly HRI work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a workshop stemming from ongoing conversations about the role of design methods and designed artefacts within the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Given the growing interest in understanding what the field can learn from design explorations, the workshop focuses on hands-on annotating activity where participants (researchers and practitioners from HRI, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design Research) will analyze and reflect upon selected collections of robotic artefacts. Ultimate goal of the workshop is to explicate values, concepts and perspectives that usually remain tacitly embedded in the designed artefacts and, as such, hard to appreciate as proper HRI contributions. The expected outcome of the workshop is a set of methodological recommendations and concrete examples of what kind of knowledge can be generated through robotic artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of edutainment robotics in everyday life raises new opportunities that can lead to a redefinition of the traditional game scenarios. Robots, indeed, represents a challenge for designer since allows a physical embodiment of a game character/element. These new opportunities have been analyzed in parallel with the world of childhood, its main characteristics, current topics and emerging issues. This analysis is at the basis of the Phygital Play project, a mixed-reality playground in which children can play with or against a robot. The project aims to encourage children to play physically in order to reduce sedentary behaviors, which are recently increasing accordingly to the spread of screen-based activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows preliminary results of the project DR4GHE (Domestic Robot 4 Gaming Health and Eco-sustainability). The main purpose is to develop a Robot Companion for domestic applications able to advise and suggest good practices to users. Interaction and engagement with the user are introduced providing to the Robot Vacuum Cleaner RVC an additional intelligence and leveraging the existing level of acceptance. Morphological aspects, in addition to behavioral traits, assume a key role in the perceptual transition of the RVC from object to subject. Humanrobot interaction takes place on two levels: direct interaction, in particular with visual and sound signals; and mediated interaction, through a GUI for smartphone and tablets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]