Robots are becoming more widely used in several job positions, such as those of restaurant server and hotel service. Sometimes the reason may be as simple as finding a niche to make the location more interesting, but robots can be helpful too. While they can hardly replace humans in most positions yet, particularly those that involve highly intellectual or social tasks, work that is more automatic or predictable can be doable. In fact, there have been studies regarding the use of robotic helpers in schools, in which the students could interact and revise their studies with the robot. However, while the robots were not intended to replace a professional human teacher to begin with, there are other ethical and practical issues that their presence could cause.
More than meets the eye
When working with young children in particular, it is important to keep in mind that they see the world differently from most adults, and as such they are at a higher risk of confusing non-living things and living beings. In the case of humanoid robots that also interact with them, this confusion could become increasingly likely.
Since we have yet to knowingly develop an artificial intelligence that is truly comparable to a human, it might be best to design robots to look clearly robotic. The main reason is that this way, we can reduce the risk of confusion, especially in children. There have been developed robots that are so humanlike in appearance that regular adult people can mistake them for other humans, even when having a face-to-face conversation with one – so the threat of confusion is very real. On the other hand, making something very humanlike in appearance but not quite realistic – perhaps like a doll instead – risks the robot appearing somewhat disturbing, or “uncanny valley”.
However, if a perfectly humanoid design were to be used regardless, it could result in unnatural attachment to the robot and unreasonable expectations of humanity or intelligence. A “robotic” robot might be comparable to a toy or a pet, but if the robot were humanlike and adequate at maintaining a conversation, children in particular might start treating it more like a real human. As a result, the children might become too attached to the robot and become unhappy when it would be removed from the classroom, and furthermore potentially lose the motivation to interact with real people when the robot is available.
Fortunately, even in the event of a “too-desirable” talking robot, the social and conversational skills of children might still not decrease as long as other humans are around. A potential exception would be an instance where the child is unknowingly neglected outside of school, but teachers should regardless monitor the amount of time that children might spend with the robot. Furthermore, making the robot more capable of having a conversation could also in fact encourage more introverted children to talk more – although it could also make the robot itself a more desirable conversation partner, again resulting in the risk of reduced socialization.
The ideal toy teacher
Instead of the appearance of a human, especially if the robot is used for teaching or interacts with children in general, the ideal design might be robotic but still approachable. For example, making the robot smaller than the child makes it cuter and less intimidating. Soft, smooth angles make the robot less intimidating as well, but also make it slightly safer to have around. A clean color scheme that is not distracting and is easy on the eyes would be ideal, especially one with approachable colors that might possibly help reinforce the idea of the robot being a piece of electronics – such as white, silver and light blue.
Entertaining and interactive lights and sounds might also help pique children’s interest in the robot. As discovered in the field study in Tammela School with Elias Robot by Curious Technologies Ltd. (Utelias Technologies Oy), colorful and beautiful lights and pleasant sounds upon correct answers being given were considered to be rewards by the children involved in the study. Thus, whether the emphasis was on the pleasant audio and visuals or the robot’s positive reaction, these features could be expected to motivate schoolchildren to do well in learning situations.
Even though the idea has turned out to be helpful and fun, despite some technical difficulties characteristic to more complicated electronics, further studies should be conducted regarding the subject to ensure that robotic helpers are good and safe for children as well as helpful enough to be worthwhile. The role of robots and AI in teaching seems promising however, especially when they are used to help with simple and repetitive tasks. After all, teachers can only pay attention to so many students at a time, and every bit of extra motivation and fun in learning is valuable.