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Despite advances in areas such as the personalization of robots, sustaining adoption of robots for long-term use in families remains a challenge. Recent studies have identified integrating robots into families’ routines and rituals as a promising approach to support long-term adoption. However, few studies explored the integration of robots into family routines and there is a gap in systematic measures to capture family preferences for robot integration. Building upon existing routine inventories, we developed Family-Robot Routines Inventory (FRRI), with 24 family routines and 24 child routine items, to capture parents’ attitudes toward and expectations from the integration of robotic technology into their family routines. Using this inventory, we collected data from 150 parents through an online survey. Our analysis indicates that parents had varying perceptions for the utility of integrating robots into their routines. For example, parents found robot integration to be more helpful in children’s individual routines, than to the collective routines of their families. We discuss the design implications of these preliminary findings, and how they may serve as a first step toward understanding the diverse challenges and demands of designing and integrating household robots for families.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available August 26, 2025
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Despite advances in areas such as the personalization of robots, sustaining adoption of robots for long-term use in families remains a challenge. Recent studies have identified integrating robots into families’ routines and rituals as a promising approach to support long-term adoption. However, few studies explored the integration of robots into family routines and there is a gap in systematic measures to capture family preferences for robot integration. Building upon existing routine inventories, we developed Family-Robot Routines Inventory (FRRI), with 24 family routines and 24 child routine items, to capture parents’ attitudes toward and expectations from the integration of robotic technology into their family routines. Using this inventory, we collected data from 150 parents through an online survey. Our analysis indicates that parents had varying perceptions for the utility of integrating robots into their routines. For example, parents found robot integration to be more helpful in children’s individual routines, than to the collective routines of their families. We discuss the design implications of these preliminary findings, and how they may serve as a first step toward understanding the diverse challenges and demands of designing and integrating household robots for families.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available August 26, 2025
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As robotic products become more integrated into daily life, there is a greater need to understand authentic and real-world human-robot interactions to inform product design. Across many domestic, educational, and public settings, robots interact with not only individuals and groups of users, but also families, including children, parents, relatives, and even pets. However, products developed to date and research in human-robot and child-robot interactions have focused on the interaction with their primary users, neglecting the complex and multifaceted interactions between family members and with the robot. There is a significant gap in knowledge, methods, and theories for how to design robots to support these interactions. To inform the design of robots that can support and enhance family life, this paper provides (1) a narrative review exemplifying the research gap and opportunities for family-robot interactions and (2) an actionable family-centered framework for research and practices in human-robot and child-robot interaction.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available March 11, 2025
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Technical and practical challenges in human-robot interaction (HRI) research often involve facilitating sustained long-term interactions, fostering engagement with multiple individuals, and taking place in-the-wild. The home environment embodies all three challenges, as multiple family members regularly engage with technology at home. In our research, we take a family-centered approach to understand, design, and evaluate how social robots can take part in setting and maintaining family routines to support long-term HRI. In our prior work, we conducted participatory design sessions with children and families to understand their preferences for having social robots in their home. We then designed interactions for robot-facilitated routines. Finally, our future work will include field studies investigating how robot-facilitated routines can support long-term engagement in family-robot interactions and facilitate connections.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available March 11, 2025
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In this work, we discuss a theoretically motivated family-centered design approach for child-robot interactions, adapted by Family Systems Theory (FST) and Family Ecological Model (FEM). Long-term engagement and acceptance of robots in the home is influenced by factors that surround the child and the family, such as child-sibling-parent relationships and family routines, rituals, and values. A family-centered approach to interaction design is essential when developing in-home technology for children, especially for social agents like robots with which they can form connections and relationships. We review related literature in family theories and connect it with child-robot interaction and child-computer interaction research. We present two case studies that exemplify how family theories, FST and FEM, can inform the integration of robots into homes, particularly research into child-robot and family-robot interaction. Finally, we pose five overarching recommendations for a family-centered design approach in child-robot interactions.more » « less
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We aim to design robotic educational support systems that can promote socially and intellectually meaningful learning experiences for students while they complete school work outside of class. To pursue this goal, we conducted participatory design studies with 10 children (aged 10–12) to explore their design needs for robot assisted homework. We investigated children’s current ways of doing homework, the type of support they receive while doing homework, and co-designed the speech and expressiveness of a homework companion robot. Children and parents attending our design sessions explained that an emotionally expressive social robot as a homework aid can support students’ motivation and engagement, as well as their affective state. Children primarily perceived the robot as a dedicated assistant at home, capable of forming meaningful friendships, or a shared classroom learning resource. We present key design recommendations to support students’ homework experiences with a learning companion robot.more » « less
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The goal of this workshop is to have interdisciplinary discussions on family-centered interaction design of technology as an extension to child-centered design. The workshop will discuss the potential benefits of a family-centered approach to design, as well as the challenges and open questions that designers may face when adopting this approach. Through discussions and interactive activities, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and share ideas on how to effectively incorporate a family-centered perspective into their own design processes. A family-centered approach to design has the potential to create more meaningful and contextual experiences for children and their families.more » « less
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Robotic technology can support the creation of new tools that improve the creative process of cinematography. It is crucial to consider the specific requirements and perspectives of industry professionals when designing and developing these tools. In this paper, we present the results from exploratory interviews with three cinematography practitioners, which included a demonstration of a prototype robotic system. We identified many factors that can impact the design, adoption, and use of robotic support for cinematography, including: (1) the ability to meet requirements for cost, quality, mobility, creativity, and reliability; (2) the compatibility and integration of tools with existing workflows, equipment, and software; and (3) the potential for new creative opportunities that robotic technology can open up. Our findings provide a starting point for future co-design projects that aim to support the work of cinematographers with collaborative robots.more » « less
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Social robots are becoming increasingly prevalent in the real world. Unsupervised user interactions in a natural and familiar setting, such as the home, can reveal novel design insights and opportunities. This paper presents an analysis and key design insights from family-robot interactions, captured via on-robot recordings during an unsupervised four-week in-home deployment of an autonomous reading companion robot for children. We analyzed interviews and 160 interaction videos involving six families who regularly interacted with a robot for four weeks. Throughout these interactions, we observed how the robot's expressions facilitated unique interactions with the child, as well as how family members interacted with the robot. In conclusion, we discuss five design opportunities derived from our analysis of natural interactions in the wild.more » « less
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Research in child-robot interactions suggests that engaging in “care-taking” of a social robot, such as tucking the robot in at night, can strengthen relationships formed between children and robots. In this work, we aim to better understand and explore the design space of caretaking activities with 10 children, aged 8–12 from eight families, involving an exploratory design session followed by a preliminary feasibility testing of robot caretaking activities. The design sessions provided insight into children’s current caretaking tasks, how they would take care of a social robot, and how these new caretaking activities could be integrated into their daily routines. The feasibility study tested two different types of robot caretaking tasks, which we call connection and utility, and measured their short term effects on children’s perceptions of and closeness to the social robot. We discuss the themes and present interaction design guidelines of robot caretaking activities for children.more » « less