Social Interaction Capabilities Research Articles

Design and Implementation of Adam: A Humanoid Robotic Head with Social Interaction Capabilities

Social robots are being conceived with different characteristics and being used in different applications. The growth of social robotics benefits from advances in fabrication, sensing, and actuation technologies, as well as signal processing and artificial intelligence. This paper presents a design and implementation of the humanoid robotic platform Adam, consisting of a motorized human-like head with precise movements of the eyes, jaw, and neck, together with capabilities of face tracking and vocal conversation using ChatGPT. Adam relies on 3D-printed parts together with a microphone, a camera, and proper servomotors, and it has high structural integrity and flexibility. Adam’s control framework consists of an adequate signal exploitation and motor command strategy that allows efficient social interactions. Adam is an innovative platform that combines manufacturability, user-friendliness, low costs, acceptability, and sustainability, offering advantages compared with other platforms. Indeed, the platform’s hardware and software components are adjustable and allow it to increase its abilities and adapt them to different applications in a variety of roles. Future work will entail the development of a body for Adam and the addition of skin-like materials to enhance its human-like appearance.

Social robot in service of the cognitive therapy of elderly people: Exploring robot acceptance in a real-world scenario

Aging is a global demographic trend that is leading to an increase in the prevalence of cognitive disorders. Innovative healthcare solutions are needed to meet the growing demand for assistance. Robots equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, sensors and social interaction capabilities offer promising tools to address the challenges of cognitive decline in the elderly. The main objective of this study is to assess the acceptance of social robots in healthcare among elderly people. Specifically, we provide the social robot Furhat with the ability to greet patients and assess their cognitive function through neuropsychological tests. The experiment involves 26 elderly people interacting with the social robot Furhat in a clinical setting. A questionnaire is administered in order to carry out our results to understand the usability, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intention to use and comfort in interaction. In addition, a group discussion highlights some opinions and feedbacks among the participants. Our results suggest that the integration of social robots into cognitive testing for the elderly has a positive outlook.

Casework intervention research on interpersonal communication disorders of unsupported children

Abstract This study aimed to critically evaluate the effectiveness of casework intervention in addressing the interpersonal challenges encountered by de facto unsupported children. An in-depth analysis of casework practices revealed positive outcomes, with significant advancements observed in the children’s social interaction capabilities. Leveraging a psychosocial therapy framework, the intervention strategically provided emotional support and social skills development, crucial for bolstering self-esteem and improving communicative competences. The results of this study illuminate the substantial benefits of casework interventions, confirming their essential role in facilitating the holistic growth and interpersonal health of unsupported children.

Social Robots and Brain-Computer Interface Video Games for Dealing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that affects a large number of young people in the world. The current treatments for children living with ADHD combine different approaches, such as pharmacological, behavioral, cognitive, and psychological treatment. However, the computer science research community has been working on developing non-pharmacological treatments based on novel technologies for dealing with ADHD. For instance, social robots are physically embodied agents with some autonomy and social interaction capabilities. Nowadays, these social robots are used in therapy sessions as a mediator between therapists and children living with ADHD. Another novel technology for dealing with ADHD is serious video games based on a brain-computer interface (BCI). These BCI video games can offer cognitive and neurofeedback training to children living with ADHD. This paper presents a systematic review of the current state of the art of these two technologies. As a result of this review, we identified the maturation level of systems based on these technologies and how they have been evaluated. Additionally, we have highlighted ethical and technological challenges that must be faced to improve these recently introduced technologies in healthcare.

Embodied Expressive Gestures in Telerobots: A Tale of Two Users

Despite their technical advancements, commercially available telerobots are limited in social interaction capabilities for both pilot and local users, specifically in nonverbal communication. Our group hypothesizes that the introduction of expressive gesturing and tangible interaction capabilities (e.g., handshakes, fist bumps) will enhance telerobotic interactions and increase social connection between users. To investigate the affordances to social connection that gestures and tangible interactions provide in telerobot-mediated interactions, we designed and integrated a lightweight manipulator terminating in an anthropomorphic end effector onto a commercially available telerobot (Anybots QB 2.0). Through virtual reality tracking of the pilot user’s arm and hand, expressive gestures and social contact interactions are recreated via the manipulator, enabling a pilot user and a local user to engage in a tangible exchange. To assess the usability and effectiveness of the gesturing system, we present evaluations from both the local and pilot user perspectives. First, we present a validation study to assess usability of the control system by the pilot user. Our results demonstrate that pilot user interactions can be replicated with a greater than 80% pass rate and mean ease of use rating of \(7.08 \pm 1.32\) (out of 10) with brief training. Finally, we present a user study to assess the social impacts of (1) using the telerobot without the manipulator from both the pilot user and local user perspectives and (2) using the control system and telerobotic manipulator from both the pilot user and local user perspectives. Results demonstrate that the robot with the manipulator elicited a more positive social experience than the robot without the arm for local users but no significant difference in conditions for pilot users. Future work will focus on improving the pilot user experience to support social contact interactions.

HUBUNGAN KEJADIAN BULLYING DENGAN KEMAMPUAN INTERAKSI SOSIAL PADA REMAJA DI KELURAHAN KLEAK LINGKUNGAN I KOTA MANADO

Background: Social interaction is a social process that occurs in all human life, but the individual's social interaction capabilities including teenagers sometimes decreased due to the situation that can not be faced as never experienced bullying that can provide long-term impact on the victims of bullying. Purpose: To find out the incidence Bullying Relationships With Social Interaction Capability in Kelurahan Kleak, Environment 1 Manado. Method This study used a cross sectional study design, using the chi square statistical test. Samples were taken technique is purposive sampling with a total of 78 adolescents. Results a total of 48 adolescents aged 15-18 years. Based on gender, the respondents were predominantly female teenagers. Chi square test analysis shows that Value = 0.201, which means that the two variables are not significantly related.. The In this study, it is known that adolescents who experience bullying in the high category can still have a level of social interaction ability in the good category. Conclusion: community of nursing services can assist in overcoming psychosocial behavior among adolescents to reduce or avoid the adverse effects of bullying incidents on adolescents social interaction skills.Keywords: Bullying Incident;Social Interaction Ability;Adolescent.

Improved Performance of Trash Detection and Human Target Detection Systems using Robot Operating System (ROS)

In a visual-based real detection system using computer vision, the most important thing that must be considered is the computation time. In general, a detection system has a heavy algorithm that puts a strain on the performance of a computer system, especially if the computer has to handle two or more different detection processes. This paper presents an effort to improve the performance of the trash detection system and the target partner detection system of a trash bin robot with social interaction capabilities. The trash detection system uses a combination of the Haar Cascade algorithm, Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) and Gray-Level Coocurrence Matrix (GLCM). Meanwhile, the target partner detection system uses a combination of Depth and Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) algorithms. Robotic Operating System (ROS) is used to make each system in separate modules which aim to utilize all available computer system resources while reducing computation time. As a result, the performance obtained by using the ROS platform is a trash detection system capable of running at a speed of 7.003 fps. Meanwhile, the human target detection system is capable of running at a speed of 8,515 fps. In line with the increase in fps, the accuracy also increases to 77%, precision increases to 87,80%, recall increases to 82,75%, and F1-score increases to 85,20% in trash detection, and the human target detection system has also improved accuracy to 81%, %, precision increases to 91,46%, recall increases to 86,20%, and F1-score increases to 88,42%.

Positive Reinforcement Techniques as a Media to Improve Social Interaction Capabilities in Adolescent with Hebefrenic Schizophrenia

This study aims to intervene in one of the adolescent patients with hebephrenic schizophrenia who are in RSJ Menur Surabaya. The Researcher gave an intervention in the form of behavioral therapy which is a positive reinforcement to be able to improve the ability of social interaction with others, dare to socialize with the environment or actively participate in groups. The intervention carried out eight meeting sessions. Each session has a different target according to indicators of social interaction. If the client is able to reach the target, the researcher gives an reward in the form of praise, food or activities (for example: drawing) that he likes.This therapy is believed to be able to increase the ability of social interaction. The method used in study is an experimental with a case study approach. Before the behavioral interventions that appear on the client are ideology of greatness, visual and auditory hallucinations, don’t want to communicate with others, like to be alone, lack confidence, and do not participate in group activities. After being given an intervention the client realizes his mind is only an imagination, no longer hears whispers, wants to communicate with others, and is active in a group. The results of this study indicate that positive reinforcement is effectively used as a medium to improve the ability af social interaction on the subject.

Are friends electric? The benefits and risks of human-robot relationships.

SummarySocial robots that can interact and communicate with people are growing in popularity for use at home and in customer-service, education, and healthcare settings. Although growing evidence suggests that co-operative and emotionally aligned social robots could benefit users across the lifespan, controversy continues about the ethical implications of these devices and their potential harms. In this perspective, we explore this balance between benefit and risk through the lens of human-robot relationships. We review the definitions and purposes of social robots, explore their philosophical and psychological status, and relate research on human-human and human-animal relationships to the emerging literature on human-robot relationships. Advocating a relational rather than essentialist view, we consider the balance of benefits and harms that can arise from different types of relationship with social robots and conclude by considering the role of researchers in understanding the ethical and societal impacts of social robotics.

Teaching NICO How to Grasp: An Empirical Study on Crossmodal Social Interaction as a Key Factor for Robots Learning From Humans.

To overcome novel challenges in complex domestic environments, humanoid robots can learn from human teachers. We propose that the capability for social interaction should be a key factor in this teaching process and benefits both the subjective experience of the human user and the learning process itself. To support our hypothesis, we present a Human-Robot Interaction study on human-assisted visuomotor learning with the robot NICO, the Neuro-Inspired COmpanion, a child-sized humanoid. NICO is a flexible, social platform with sensing and manipulation abilities. We give a detailed description of NICO's design and a comprehensive overview of studies that use or evaluate NICO. To engage in social interaction, NICO can express stylized facial expressions and utter speech via an Embodied Dialogue System. NICO is characterized in particular by combining these social interaction capabilities with the abilities for human-like object manipulation and crossmodal perception. In the presented study, NICO acquires visuomotor grasping skills by interacting with its environment. In contrast to methods like motor babbling, the learning process is, in part, supported by a human teacher. To begin the learning process, an object is placed into NICO's hand, and if this object is accidentally dropped, the human assistant has to recover it. The study is conducted with 24 participants with little or no prior experience with robots. In the robot-guided experimental condition, assistance is actively requested by NICO via the Embodied Dialogue System. In the human-guided condition, instructions are given by a human experimenter, while NICO remains silent. Evaluation using established questionnaires like Godspeed, Mind Perception, and Uncanny Valley Indices, along with a structured interview and video analysis of the interaction, show that the robot's active requests for assistance foster the participant's engagement and benefit the learning process. This result supports the hypothesis that the ability for social interaction is a key factor for companion robots that learn with the help of non-expert teachers, as these robots become capable of communicating active requests or questions that are vital to their learning process. We also show how the design of NICO both enables and is driven by this approach.

Detecting Child Autism Using Classification Techniques.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a brain development disorder that restricts a person's communication abilities and social interaction capabilities from natural growth. In this paper, we have applied various supervised classification techniques to detect the presence of child autism. Our findings show that the Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) classifier performs best to detect ASD cases with the highest accuracy and minimum execution time and error rate. We also identify the most dominant features in dectecting child autism.

Creative and Problem Solving Thinking of Gifted and Talented Young Children Observed Through Classroom Dialogues

The preschool period is one of fast growth for a child's mental capacity and a key developmental period for their language, motion, and social interaction capabilities. Understanding children's learning characteristics helps us facilitate development of cognition for every child. In this study, we examined the creative and problem solving thinking of 8 young science talented children aged 4 to 6 through the dialogues and archives/ artworks in the classroom. Through this study, we hope to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of gifted young learners. The participated students in our study have attended an extra-curricular enrichment program with 2 hours of science class time per week for a total of 72 hours in one school year. The dialogues and archives/ artworks were collected from six units of science learning activities. All the oral data were videotape recorded, transcribed, validated, and coded by the researchers. The results showed that as compared to similar-age children, the participated children possessed keen observation ability and a wider general knowledge. They also exhibited superior verbal expressive, logical reasoning, elaborative, creative and flexible problem solving skills. In addition, the children were highly humorous and imaginative. Judging from the dialogues and performances, we believed that the earlier talented children are provided with appropriate programs and interaction with peers, the better their chances of fully actualizing their potential and enhancing higher order thinking skills.

Cognitive Internet of Vehicles and disaster management: A proposed architecture and future direction

AbstractHistorically, the vehicle has just been a component of the human ambulatory system and slave to the commands of driving force. However, recent advancement in technologies such as 5G wireless systems, cloud/edge computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and deep learning have opened the new paradigm of the Cognitive Internet of Vehicles (CIoV). The network of heterogeneous intelligent vehicles, not only having the social interaction capabilities but also have the ability to visualize, capture, and disseminate information to dynamic cognitive engines for identifying and analyzing different patterns and prediction of optimized outcomes. From secure navigation to traffic control, transportation security for pollution control has advocated plausible applications in real‐time operations of Internet of Vehicles in humanitarian operations. Proceeding this research, this paper aimed to propose a state‐of‐the‐art architecture based on CIoV for identifying emerging capabilities of available technologies to observe, detect, and mitigate natural disasters, and to develop the CIoV ecosystem for processing the global scale data for intelligent decision making and better service provisioning in natural disaster management.

Theater Improvisation Promoting Interpersonal Confidence of Student Teachers: A Controlled Intervention Study

This study examined the effects of a theater-based improvisation method for promoting student-teachers’ self-rated social interaction competence. 39 undergraduate students participated in an intervention study applying the improvisation method in the context of teacher education. The intervention group (N=19) were trained in the basics of improvisation (7 weeks x 2.5 h) and the control group (N=18) received a shorter improvisation course after the study (2 days x 3.5 h). Participants filled out two self-report questionnaires assessing their interpersonal confidence and self-esteem before and after the intervention. Our results show that self-rated interpersonal confidence increased significantly for those participants, who scored low in the pre-test. On the other hand, there were no between-group differences in self-esteem. This might be due to more consistent nature of self-esteem, comparable to basic personality traits such as extraversion or neuroticism. The results of the study indicate that a relatively short improvisation intervention promotes the interpersonal confidence of those teacher-students who need it the most. This result concurs with previous studies, suggesting that including improvisation method in teacher education curricula can enhance teacher-students’ social interaction capabilities and their responsive teaching.

A social network analysis of learning in corporate training context

It is obvious that, human life is being affected by the facilities of new technologies with all of its aspects including learning and development. On the other hand, besides the increasing use of the facilities, we have limited knowledge about the question of how social interaction and Web 2.0 technologies affect the training environments in workplace context. This study, which is a part of an on-going doctoral research, aims at investigating the interactions among participants within the networks constructed in an online learning environment in corporate training context (Sosyal 2.0) while verifying network coding procedures and providing evidence for the methodological issues regarding the use of SNA in combination with other methods in researching Networked Learning.Training and adult learning literature is limited when compared to the areas of formal education, teacher training or higher education. The current study, examining corporate training, aims at contributing to the literature, as the field of NL research is untouched, especially in Turkey.The study is conducted in cooperation with Enocta, an e-learning company in Turkey. The logs of Enocta's LMS with social interaction capabilities, called "Sosyal 2.0", are used as the data source. The members of Enocta who participate by using facilities of Sosyal 2.0 formed the actors of the network. Networks are constructed according to different web 2.0 facilities in Sosyal 2.0: "wallpost-comment" (WPC), "wallpost-like" (WPL), "question-answer" (QA), "question-comment" (QC), "question-like" (QL) and "blog post-like" (BPL) networks are constructed. To be able to examine the interactions among participants Average Degree, Degree Centralization, Closeness Centralization, Betweenness Centralization and Cohesion analysis are carried out using PAJEK Software.The results revealed that the tightest interaction was constructed via wall platform in Sosyal 2.0 in comparison to BPC, BPL, QL and QA platforms. The results of cohesive sub-groups reveal that, the users of Sosyal 2.0 form a comparatively big community by using wall platform. On the other hand; QAC, BPC and BPL networks had revealed weak components and small mutual relationships. These findings indicate that the information sharing among participants are not dispersed into several, middle sized sub groups in Sosyal 2.0. Rather it is more centralized in wall platform and mostly in mutual level for the QAC, BPC and BPL networks. These findings deserve further investigation including users' preferences and gratification and individual level network analysis methods.

Brief Report: Group Social-Multimodal Intervention for HFASD

Current study is the second part of a 2-year cognitive-behavioral-ecological (CB-E) intervention for high-functioning (HF) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined the utility of a group-centered intervention on children's ability to interact cooperatively with peers during structured and non-structured social situations. Direct (e.g., social problem solving) and indirect (theory of mind; executive function) treatment effects on social cognitive capabilities were also examined. Participants were 26 preadolescent HF children with ASD. Study results demonstrated direct and indirect treatment effects on social cognition and mixed results regarding children's social interaction capabilities. Although children's cooperative capabilities within the intervention group improved, dyadic, and group social interactions during school recess did not. Discussion focused on the utility of such group-intervention in increasing social functioning.