Designing Robots to Support Parent-Child Connections: Opportunities Through Robot-Mediated Communication

2026-04-26

AI Summary

This study addresses how contemporary technologies often undermine parent-child interaction and family connectedness by systematically investigating, for the first time, the interplay between behavioral strategies (passive, reactive, proactive) and communication modalities (synchronous, asynchronous) in robot-mediated communication. Employing a mixed-methods approach that integrates in-home probes with controlled laboratory experiments, the research elucidates how technology can support—rather than substitute—human interaction. The findings reveal core tensions families experience when adopting robotic communication, particularly concerning agency, timing, and privacy. Building on these insights, the work identifies concrete design opportunities to foster everyday familial bonding through thoughtfully mediated technological interventions.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: The sharing economy
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Studies of user behavior, including longitudinal effects of personalized systems

Abstract

The sense of family connectedness may support positive outcomes including individual well-being, resilience, and healthy family functioning. However, as technologies advance, they often replace human-human interactions instead of nurturing them. In this work, we investigate how robot-facilitated communication tools might instead create new opportunities for family connection. We conducted two studies with families with children aged 5-12. We first explored the design space through in-home technology probe sessions with six families. These probes inspired us to explore two key interaction design dimensions: the robot's behavior strategy (passive, reactive, proactive) and the mode of communication (synchronous, asynchronous). We then conducted a laboratory study with 20 families to examine how the two dimensions shaped parent-child interaction and connection. Our findings characterize how parents and children appropriated robot-mediated exchanges, the tensions they experienced around initiative, timing, and privacy, and the opportunities they envisioned for supporting everyday connectedness.

Problem

• family connectedness
• robot-mediated communication
• parent-child interaction
• human-robot interaction
• technology design

Innovation

• robot-mediated communication
• parent-child connection
• interaction design dimensions
• family technology
• human-robot interaction