An Open-Source Robotic Study Companion for University Students

Abstract

This thesis presents an evidence-based approach and develops an affordable and effective Robotic Study Companion (RSC) prototype for university students. It addresses the lack of social robots tailored to higher education and the scarcity of open-source educational platforms. Through a comprehensive literature review on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), social and companion robots, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, this work identifies trends and best practices for educational social robots. The research systematically reviews select social robots, examining their applications, technical features, design, and human-centric interaction. It explores the human perspective of HRI, focusing on users in educational settings. Based on these insights, functional and non-functional requirements are established for the RSC, inspiring its design and development. The RSC prototype, built using off-the-shef components and leveraging OpenAI's large language models, demonstrates its potential to simplify complex concepts for students. The long-term goal is to enhance the RSC's design, durability, and commercial viability.