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A team of researchers has developed a socially assistive robot called Tega that is designed to serve as a one-on-one peer learner in or outside of the classroom. Socially assistive robots for education aren't new, but what makes Tega unique is the fact that it can interpret the emotional response of the student it is working with and, based on those cues, create a personalized motivational strategy.
Testing the setup in a preschool classroom, the researchers showed that the system can learn and improve itself in response to the unique characteristics of the students it worked with. It proved to be more effective at increasing students' positive attitude towards the robot and activity than a non-personalized robot assistant.Image credit: Personal Robots Group, MIT Media Lab
