This coming Saturday, Ballard High School and six other Western Washington schools will present their prototypes for “social robots” that help teens deal with anxiety.
It’s all part of the Social Robot Design Challenge at the University of Washington.
“Social robots are different from a robot you might find in a factory,” explains the UW project site. “The purpose of a social robot is to be a companion, provide support, or gather information from people and their environments. While researchers are studying social robots with children, adults, and seniors, no one has looked closely at teens and social robots. We are trying to change that!”
The Ballard team (in the photo above) is designing a “cute, dog-like” social robot — because what’s a better companion than a dog?
The Social Robot Design Challenge is free and open to the public. It will take place on Saturday, March 24, from 3-5 p.m. in the Husky Union Building on the UW Seattle Campus.
(Photo from @projectemar on Twitter)