Towards a child-robot symbiotic co-development: a theoretical approach

Abstract

One of the main characteristics for an effective learning is the possibility for learners to choose their own ways and pace of learning, according to their personal previous experiences and needs. Social interaction during the learning process has a crucial role to the skills that learners may develop. In this paper, we present a theoretical approach, which considers relevant theories of child's development in order to proceed from a child-child collaborative learning approach to a childrobot symbiotic co-development. In this symbiotic interaction, the robot is able to interact with the learner and adapt its behaviours according to the child's behaviour and development. This sets some theoretical foundations for an on-going research project that develops technologies for a social robot that facilitates learning through symbiotic interaction.