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Robot Nao: The new language teacher for refugee children in the test!
Researchers at Bielefeld University are developing robots as language assistants for teaching German to refugee children.
Robot Nao: The new language teacher for refugee children in the test!
Researchers at the universities of Bielefeld and Paderborn have made exciting advances in the field of robotics. As part of the TRR 318 Constructing Explainability project, we are investigating how robots can provide linguistic support in solving tasks. A particular focus is on the Nao robot model, which is designed to select verbal explanation strategies based on the behavior and cognitive state of the people with whom it interacts. This was implemented in subproject A05 of TRR 318, which was led by Professor Dr. Britta Wrede is standing. She is also active in the areas of FAITH and AI*IM.
The model allows Nao to adapt his explanations depending on the reactions and behavior of the human interlocutors. An interesting finding is that instructions can not only be formulated directly, but also given through negations, such as “Don’t wave, shake.” Such formulations help to divert the focus from an object or activity and promote participants' understanding. In one study, participants wore mobile eye trackers while solving 20 medical tasks on a touchscreen. Nao's adaptive model proved to be extremely efficient, leading to 23 percent fewer errors on difficult tasks compared to a control group with neutral instructions.
Robots as language support in the classroom
The robot Nao, which is 60 cm tall and equipped with cameras and microphones, is programmed to control interactions with children and monitor their learning progress. The aim is to teach children linguistic soft skills such as simple expressions, prepositions and numbers in a playful way. If suitable, Nao could be used in daycare centers to support the educators. An international team of researchers from the Netherlands, Great Britain and Turkey is working on this promising project, while telepresence robots are already being used for substitute teaching in the USA. Overall, Nao's adaptive communication aims to make explanations co-constructive between humans and machines, making interactions more flexible and understandable. This opens new perspectives for the use of robots both in the education sector and in other areas where cognitive support is needed. Currently Bielefeld University reports that... Trends of the future reports that...