Industrial Design

Meet “Elmo” – The Learning Robot for children

My bachelor thesis deals with the topic of robotics in school education. More specifically, it is about the conceptual design of an interactive learning robot for primary school children.

Investigating Robotics and Automation

I started my investigation by looking for robots that were already in use. I examined a variety of fields, including agriculture, industry, medicine, entertainment and our household. Following my list of the various robots and their roles, I considered areas where I thought the field of robotics had room for growth.

After the research and the conversations I had in my environment, I was able to identify the following facts as problems that I would like to solve:

Communication barriers being experienced by DaZ (German as a second language) children
Homework is done without the support of parents and is not corrected by them
Learning communities differ greatly in parameters relevant to learning
= heterogeneous learning groups
Children find it difficult to ask uncomfortable questions

Concepts

In preparation for the following part, I have considered potential concepts, that fit my previously defined set of needs.

The process began with a brainstorming session on a whiteboard. These ideas were quickly evaluated, the best three were selected and elaborated in more detail. To evaluate these three concepts, I made a pairwise comparison and thus selected the most suitable concept for my previously defined requirements.

Elmo´s tasks for children

The robot’s main responsibility is to accompany the child throughout his or her elementary school years and to assist with their homework. To do this, the robot’s camera can scan handwritten notes, assignment papers and other materials, using artificial intelligence to analyze and enhance them. This is accomplished by communicating with the youngster through an avatar that is displayed on the screen. The robot’s other duty is to respond to any inquiries from the kids. Information is gathered out of the internet and presented in a kid-friendly manner. This aids students in expanding their vocabulary. The robot also teaches the kids how to use the camera on the robot to take pictures of things.

The function of the robot

The heart of the robot is protected by a silicone cover, which is kept safe. This serves to shield the robot from dampness while also shielding all crucial parts from drops and shocks. Each shell and each set of legs is created specifically for each child by a computer using the answers to a questionnaire. This is how every robot has a unique appearance.

The Dockingstation

The robot is mounted on an additional docking station so that it can be used in the learning environment at school or at home. The robot can be magnetically connected to the station, which offers the children additional chances and be placed in a predetermined position. The robot can rotate 360 degrees and travel slightly forwards and backwards on this.

App supported robot

A software designed for the child and the parents, as well as the teacher, supports the robot’s functionality. From user to user, the app’s features vary significantly.

The app provides more knowledge, videos, games, a friendship journal, a map, and kid-friendly stuff for the user. The app’s features for parents and teachers include a digital homework book and class book, a map to track the child’s route to school, the digitalization of each child’s knowledge level, as well as many other things.

Elmo – The Character

The fox: After studying mythical creatures and their personalities, I settled on a fox. When seeing a fox, one immediately thinks of being cunning, having skills, cleverness and adaptability. The fur’s color matches the color of the robot. Artificial intelligence was used to generate the avatar.

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