Marie and Nao

In this pilot experiment, I wanted to get feedback from my daughter Marie (5 years old) after the robot Nao demonstrated a social story on greeting others.

Marie and robot Paro

This video captures the first meet-up of Marie, then 3 years old, and the robot seal Paro. Here, I saw several instances of pretend play. Literature shows that other children may have difficulties in pretend play.

Marie and Robosapien

In 2007, some weeks after finishing my doctoral degree in the area of biomedical robotics, I was asked by Melody to baby sit Marie, who was about 15 months old then. Here's how I entertained Marie, and this was when I asked questions on the interaction of children and robots.

David and robot Keepon

This video captures the first interaction of David, then 11 months old, with the robot Keepon.

Human touch or not?

Illusory Sense of Human Touch from a Warm and Soft Artificial Hand. To touch and be touched are vital to human development, well-being, and relationships. However, to those who have lost their arms and hands due to accident or war, touching becomes a serious concern that often leads to psychosocial issues and social stigma. In this paper, we demonstrate that the touch from a warm and soft rubber hand can be perceived by another person as if the touch were coming from a human hand.