"Telerobots for Informal Learning in Schools"

Postdoctoral Scholar Veronica Ahumada-Newhart (Ph.D. ’18, pictured right) is first author, with Laurel D. Riek (UCI Computer Science and Engineering) co-author, of an article in the Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction Workshop on Robots 4 Learning (R4L) exploring the use of technologies in a post-COVID-19 world.  
 
The title of the article is “Telerobots for Informal Learning in Schools.”
 
Ahumada-Newhart’s research interests include child health and human development, virtual inclusion, human-computer interaction, human-robot interaction, and emerging technologies that facilitate learning, human development, and social connectedness. Currently, she is an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in UC Irvine's Institute for Clinical Translational Science, where her research encompasses strong interdisciplinary efforts between UCI's School of Medicine, School of Education, Department of Informatics, and Department of Cognitive Sciences. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Ahumada-Newhart served as Director of Oral Health programs for the state of Montana. 

.Abstract
 
In the pre-pandemic world, it was estimated that 2.5 million children in the U.S. were restricted to their homes due to medical risk. Sadly, in the COVID-19 (C-19) world and post C-19 world, this number is expected to be much larger. As communities and schools return to in-person gatherings, many children will not be able to return to in-person school either due to their own health risks or the health risks of a family member. Awareness of this global reality highlights the urgent need to explore the use of inclusive technologies beyond the static screens of Zoom and online schools. As in-person schools resume, there is much we can learn from children and adolescents who pioneered the use of telerobots to not only attend school—but also to play.