HUMAN ROBOT INTERACTIONS
Enhancing Accessible Learning with a Assistive Classroom Robot
My Role
Research
Conceptualisation
Design
Timeline
2 months
Team
Aneesha Chinni,
Tanmayee Pemmaraju
Ikramuddin Ahmed,
Tools
Microbit Makecode
Figma
Photoshop
PROBLEM STATEMENT
"How might we design a non-obtrusive robot that can cater to students' disability accommodations while allowing them to connect with professors with meaningful interactions within classrooms?”
ASSIST-R
(Adaptive Support System for Inclusive Student Technology - Robotics)
MOTIVATION
● In college, students manage their disability accommodations for the first time on their own.
● AES ( Accommodation Educations Services) Dept provides resources, but larger classes make it harder for professors to assist, leaving students hesitant to advocate for their needs.
GOAL
The goal of this project is to design and deploy an non obtrusive assistive robot in educational settings like classrooms, seminar halls, etc to address the following objectives:
Enhance Communication with Professors: The robot will manage certain accommodations needed by students, reducing their reliance on professors and enabling meaningful interactions between students and professors.
Provide Attention Support: The robot will gently assist students in regaining focus using movement detection, helping them stay engaged
DESIGN PROCESS
USER RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Primary concerns: Drawing attention, technical difficulties, reliability, privacy
Faculty report being overwhelmed by accommodation requests with limited resources and support
Students face both physical barriers and communication challenges in receiving accommodations
Need for discreet, non-intrusive support solutions that work in crowded classroom environments
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We performed interviews with AES director of our university, conducted surveys and performed ethnographic research on quora, and reddit to understand the problem better.
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PROTOTYPE CONCEPTS
● Integrated into everyday items
● Gentle refocusing cues
● Attention Support via Movement detection
● Discrete professor communication
STORYBOARD
FINAL PROTOTYPE
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WORKING DEMONSTRATION
USABILITY TESTING
● Students struggled with understanding the robot's interface initially, requiring additional guidance to operate it efficiently.
● Professors found it challenging to manage robot-triggered requests while maintaining the flow of their lectures.
● The robot's attention support feature was seen as effective but occasionally too subtle, with some students missing the visual cues.
● Simplifying the interface design to make it more user-friendly. Include a brief onboarding tutorial or visual guide to help students quickly learn how to operate the robot.
● Incorporate alternative feedback mechanisms, such as subtle auditory signals or vibrations, to complement visual cues.
● Enhance the robot's adaptability by incorporating machine learning to tailor accommodations based on individual student needs and classroom dynamics.
● Provide professors with a companion app or dashboard that integrates requests seamlessly into their teaching workflow.
● Develop the robot to support group collaborations, facilitating peer-to- peer interactions alongside professor communication.
FUTURE SCOPE
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© 2025 Created with love & lots of coffee by Aneesha Chinni 💗☕