Researchers discover robots can be used for diagnosing mental health disorders in children

A recent study revealed that robots may be more effective than parent-reported or self-reported tests in diagnosing mental health disorders in youngsters. A team of roboticists, computer scientists and psychiatrists from the University of Cambridge carried out a study with 28 children between the ages of 8 and 13 and had a child-sized humanoid robot administer a series of standard psychological questionnaires to assess the mental well-being of each participant. The children were willing to confide in the robot, in some cases sharing information with the robot that they had not yet shared via the standard assessment method of online or in-person questionnaires. This is the first time that robots have been used to assess mental well-being in children. The researchers say that robots could be a useful addition to traditional methods of mental health assessment, although they are not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health support. The results will be presented today (1 September) at the 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) in Naples, Italy.