Cute Little Robot Helps Children Argue Better

Resolving conflict is hard. It’s even tougher when you are a kid and haven’t quite mastered the skill of productive arguing. Keepon, a cute little social robot, is being tested by researchers to see if social robots in general could be used as a way to teach children conflict resolution.

Keepon isn’t really doing anything that an adult couldn’t do; and it’s not autonomous, with two people remotely controlling everything that it says and all the movements that it makes. But the point of this research was to see whether a social robot could be used beneficially in situations like this: Would the children resolve conflicts more effectively with the help of the robot than they would by themselves?

Read more about Keepon and this robotic project on IEEE Spectrum.

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Jenn Toso, Social Media Marketing Specialist, specializes in all things social! As a dedicated member of the social media team at DigiKey, you can find her blogging, sharing, tweeting and posting on DigiKey’s social media channels. Jenn’s passion is the Maker and STEM communities and believes that today’s young people hold the key to a brighter tomorrow for everyone. Jenn holds a Bachelor of Science in Business, a Master of Science in Internet Marketing and a PhD in Hockey Mom. In her spare time, Jenn likes to explore her newly discovered affinity for wearable technology and fuel her addiction to all things hockey. You can usually find Jenn on some type of social media or in a hockey arena – sometimes enjoying both at the same time.

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