We adopt a novel approach of co-learning between elementary school pupils and university students around social robots and robotics. Social robots provide a motivational learning tool for various learning tasks. Having different learner groups together may bring in new insights, perspectives and learning. Although social robots provide an interesting platform for learning, they have challenges in terms of data privacy, as they track, process and transfer personal data. These matters should be carefully considered. We describe a qualitative and exploratory study including two phases: 1) design of co-learning activities (N=16), and 2) evaluation of co-learning activities (N=56). All co-learning tasks were developed by utilizing privacy-sensitive robotics approach and the tasks included some learning content about data privacy. The evaluation was conducted as co-learning workshops with school pupils of 10 to 15 years and international university students. We report findings about the co-learning experience of these learner groups, as well as their data privacy learnings on social robots. We also present considerations for educational robotics from the data privacy perspective.

Non-anthropomorphic robots can be cost-effective and efficient choice in certain context in comparison to social or humanoid robots. However, introduction of nonanthropomorphic robots can evoke uncertainty and anxiety due to novelty of technology. The goal of this paper is to explore personality design space for non-anthropomorphic wellness robots in office environment to foster acceptance among users. Through Participatory Design approach, we explored appropriate personalities for a well-being robot, which would detect employees’ sitting posture and suggest small wellness interventions. We addressed the following research questions: (i) How can personalities be designed and integrated to non-anthropomorphic wellness robots to promote users’ acceptance? (ii) How do the users perceive designed personalities of non-anthropomorphic wellness robot in the office context? We conducted one contextual inquiry (n=5) and one co-design workshop (n=15) followed by evaluation (n=5) in IT office environment with office employees. As a contribution to the paper, we present personalities and design implications for non-anthropomorphic wellness robot in the office context. Our contribution will serve as a guideline for designers to explore and expand their knowledge on designing robot personalities for non-anthropomorphic robots in the context.

In the field of human-robot interaction (HRI), assistive robots have been integrated to promote social interactions and physically active lifestyles in the wellness context of eldercare. Despite their potential benefits, the current applications of assistive robots are constrained by limited usage environments and their predefined roles. Our research aims to explore older adults’ perceptions of assistive robots and approaches for delivering motivational physical activities by integrating, Spot, a zoomorphic mobile robot, as an outdoor walking guide. We conducted a participatory design study at a Finnish nursing home, consisting of three phases: the co-design workshop, the conceptual design, and the field study. This qualitative research collected data through observations and interviews. The findings report positive attitudes and natural social interactions among older adults during the outdoor physical activities assisted by the Spot robot. Based on these findings, we present a set of design implications for wellness robots in eldercare, including robot roles and tasks, methods for introducing robot literacy, and approaches to presenting robotic solutions to older adults.

Modern transportation has changed our lifestyle and allowed for many more options for the daily commute. Particularly in Taiwan, a unique regional phenomenon is that people tend to travel to almost anywhere by scooter. With the intention of replacing the scooter ride for short-distance journeys with walking, we introduce a system called "HappyFeet", which encourages users to walk more with various interactive ways. The user testing demonstrated that the users were enthusiastic about our design and they provided positive feedback as well as some comments for ways to improve.