Childcare robots

Expert questions robot role models at Cheltenham Science Festival.

Japanese giants Sony and NEC are developing robots that may perform childcare services. Robots such as Sony’s Qrio and NEC’s PaPeRo (Partner-type Personal Robot) have been tested extensively in childcare activities and at schools.

Now, an expert at the Cheltenham Science Festival has asked: Do you want your children raised by robots?

“Children and robots are a good mix. Children love robots of every kind, they like to drive them around by remote control and they like to play games with them,” says Professor Sharkey of the University of Sheffield. “Robots are a great teaching aid to inspire our next generation of engineers and scientists and recent studies show that they may be a useful therapeutic aid for the likes of autism, but I have my concerns about their use in childcare.”

NEC’s PaPeRo, for instance, is capable of recognising and verbally communicating with people by sending text messages to mobile phones. It plays games and can sing along with others, and NEC is currently looking for applications for PaPeRo at day care centres, kindergartens and schools. The company has also conducted extensive testing of the robot with 27,000 participants.

Leaving the kids with robots

“I can see the benefits of these childcare robots for busy professionals working from home,” says Professor Sharkey. “But my concern is that they may prove to be too useful. With more and more people working from home on their computers, it would be all too easy to leave the kids with a robot and watch what is going on in the corner of your computer screen. Eventually, childcare professionals may use these robots. This may be quite safe and entertaining but what kind of role model is a robot? Could this lead to a generation of social misfits? What does this say about the value placed on children in society?”

Professor Sharkey will ask these questions at the Cheltenham Science Festival at an event called Robotic World that starts today 5 June from 12 to 1pm. Visit the festival website for more information.

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