Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face significant challenges in social reciprocity, which involves the mutual exchange of social cues and interactions. This study investigates the potential of using a child-height assistive robot named Rudolf to enhance the social reciprocity skills of children with ASD. The research focused…

This research explores the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on ideation and concept design of social robots capable of undertaking sustained long-duration human-robot interaction. The work reported here was developed between 2021 and 2024 through classroom teaching executed in four editions of 3-day project workshops involving…

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using robots within educational environments due to their potential to augment student engagement and motivation. However, current research has not adequately addressed the effectiveness of these robots in facilitating inclusive learning for diverse student populations, particularly those with…

This study focuses on dialogue breakdowns that can occur in robot-assisted language learning (RALL). Our aim is to analyse how children use gaze to resolve these breakdowns, that is, interruptions in the interaction caused by the robot's inability to understand the children and react appropriately. Our corpus consists of 18 video filmed L2…

Drawing on a situated approach, the authors study the joint effects of lesson plans, digital artefacts (robots and tablets), spatial behaviours of students and teachers, on reconfiguration of space and interactions between students and teachers. Video observations, cluster analyses and structural equation modelling of indicators show that the…

Interventions utilizing human-computer interaction (HCI) in autism rehabilitation have gained popularity, yet their efficacy has not been fully elucidated. This meta-analysis assessed 30 international studies from the past decade that employed HCIs for autism intervention. The findings revealed a moderate positive effect (g = 0.484) on improving…