Designing Playful HRI: Acceptability of Robots in Everyday Life through Play

Abstract

The spread of edutainment robotics in everyday life raises new opportunities that can lead to a redefinition of the traditional game scenarios. Robots, indeed, represents a challenge for designer since allows a physical embodiment of a game character/element. These new opportunities have been analyzed in parallel with the world of childhood, its main characteristics, current topics and emerging issues. This analysis is at the basis of the Phygital Play project, a mixed-reality playground in which children can play with or against a robot. The project aims to encourage children to play physically in order to reduce sedentary behaviors, which are recently increasing accordingly to the spread of screen-based activities.