Featured, Roddenberry Fellowship
Project Name: Social Robots for Early Learners
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
PROBLEM:
Young children often have difficulty transitioning from a home environment to a school setting. This is particularly true of children with any disabilities or diagnoses that might make entering school challenging. The social skills, critical to the academic success of preschoolers and kindergarten age students, are critical precursors to scholastic pursuits and are important foundations for success in academia and in life.
Solution: Fine Art Miracles uses robots to engage children to promote positive social skills through a unique robotic experience. These pivotal experiences serve build bonds, improve social and behavioral skills, and enhance the learning process. FAM’s Social Robot Learning allows children of all capabilities to expand their learning potential so that all may begin their academic career on a level playing field.
What makes this approach different? The use of social robots is unique among preschool aged learning programs in its ability to help children focus and stay on task, improve their communication skills, and expose them early on to safe learning environments. These social robots are simple enough to be operated with very little training and are sturdy enough to be used in the home. Children are able to practice social skills and reinforce their learning with family members and friends before entering school.
