Visual Metrics for Educational Videogames Linked to Socially Assistive Robots in an Inclusive Education Framework

Abstract

AbstractIn gamification, the development of “visual metrics for educational video games linked to social assistance robots in the framework of inclusive education” seeks to provide support, not only to regular children but also to children with specific psychosocial disabilities, such as those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, personalizing each child’s experiences represents a limitation, especially for those with atypical behaviors. “LOLY,” a social assistance robot, works together with mobile applications associated with the family of educational video game series called “MIDI-AM,” forming a social robotic platform. This platform offers the user curricular digital content to reinforce the teaching–learning processes and motivate regular children and those with ASD. In the present study, technical, programmatic experiments and focus groups were carried out, using open-source facial recognition algorithms to monitor and evaluate the degree of user attention throughout the interaction. The objective is to evaluate the management of a social robot linked to educational video games through established metrics, which allow monitoring the user’s facial expressions during its use and define a scenario that ensures consistency in the results for its applicability in therapies and reinforcement in the teaching process, mainly adaptable for inclusive early childhood education.KeywordsAutismGamificationTeaching–learningHuman–Robot–GameASDEducational Digital GamesUsability