This research explores the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on ideation and concept design of social robots capable of undertaking sustained long-duration human-robot interaction. The work reported here was developed between 2021 and 2024 through classroom teaching executed in four editions of 3-day project workshops involving…

Aim/Purpose: Our study is focused on prototyping, development, testing, and deployment of a new knowledge primitive for the humanoid robot assistant NAO, in order to enhance student visual learning by establishing a human-robot interaction. Background: This new primitive, utilizing a convolutional neural network (CNN), enables real-time…

Despite the numerous support systems, academic performances in many South African higher institutions continue to experience challenges while some are declining in throughputs. Some of the support mechanisms seem to be black boxed, notwithstanding the deteriorating situation. Thus, there is "prima facie" evidence that the factors that…

As a human-friendly system, the artificial intelligence (AI) robot is one of the critical applications in promoting precision education. Alongside the call for humanity-oriented applications in education, AI robotsupported precision education has developed into an active field, with increasing literature available. This study aimed to…

When a smart device talks, what should its voice sound like? Voice-enabled devices are becoming a ubiquitous presence in our everyday lives. Simultaneously, speech synthesis technology is rapidly improving, making it possible to generate increasingly varied and realistic computerized voices. Despite the flexibility and richness of expression that…

Embodiment is a concept that has gained widespread usage within the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community in recent years. In a general sense, embodiment is the notion that cognition arises not just from the mind, but also through our bodies' physical and social interactions with the world around us. HCI has employed this body-centric…

Driverless cars are hitting the road, powered by artificial intelligence. Robots can climb stairs, open doors, win "Jeopardy," analyze stocks, work in factories, find parking spaces, advise oncologists. In the past, automation was considered a threat to low-skilled labor. Now, many high-skilled functions, including interpreting medical…