REGIONAL
R E G I O N A L C H E C K - U P
UNITED KINGDOM
ROBOTS CAN BE USED TO ASSESS CHILDREN ’ S MENTAL WELL-BEING
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have revealed the results of a new study about children ’ s wellbeing in correlation to robots .
Robots can be better at detecting mental well-being issues in children than parentreported or self-reported testing , a new study suggests .
A team of roboticists , computer scientists and psychiatrists from the University of Cambridge carried out a study with 28 children between the ages of eight and 13 and had a childsized humanoid robot administer a series of standard psychological questionnaires to assess the mental well-being of each participant .
The children were willing to confide in the robot , in some cases sharing information with the robot that they had not yet shared via the standard assessment method of online or inperson questionnaires . This is the first time that robots have been used to assess mental well-being in children .
The researchers say that robots could be a useful addition to traditional methods of mental health assessment , although they are not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health support .
During the COVID-19 pandemic , home schooling , financial pressures and isolation from peers and friends impacted the mental health of many children . Even
44 www . intelligenthealth . tech