A socially intelligent robot is lending a helping hand to pupils at a special needs school in Shepton Mallet, as part of a project led by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) researchers.

The robot, known as Pepper, is currently based at The Mendip School where it is supporting autistic pupils aged twelve to nineteen with their wellbeing and emotions over a three-week period.

Programmed at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Pepper can take part in a range of social and physical activities with children, such as story-telling, dancing, and relaxation techniques which are designed to help autistic pupils manage their emotions and wellbeing. Many autistic children can have difficulty regulating their emotions and require calming and stimulation to help them engage with school-based activities.

Associate Professor in Social Robotics, Dr Severin Lemaignan, said: “The use of robots to support autistic children is not entirely new. Our approach focuses instead on wellbeing and child-led interactions. Our robot lives in the school’s corridors; Pepper engages with the children on their terms.’’

Senior Lecturer in Digital Education, Dr Nigel Newbutt, said: ‘‘When we first started this project, we envisaged that the robot may well be used in a classroom, but after conducting focus groups with the pupils and their teachers, we found that they wanted to engage with the robot in a more social and informal way; in the corridors, groups room, or play areas.”

Dr Louis Rice, from the Department of Architecture, added: “This project isn’t about replacing people and teaching staff with robots, but exploring how robot technology could be used as an additional tool by schools. ”

Assistant Headteacher at the Mendip School, Iian Conley, said: ‘‘Since Pepper arrived at the school there has been a lot of dancing and the children have also really enjoyed the robot’s jokes. One of the great things we’ve seen already is children gathering in groups to engage with Pepper. Children who wouldn’t normally socially interact with others are now choosing to interact with their peers. It’s great to see students willing to communicate with the robot where they might struggle with adults and children, and to see them opening up their friendship groups.’’

Studies have already shown that autistic people can enjoy interacting with a robot partner and that robots can be effective in helping autistic children to develop their social, communication and fine motor skills. By conducting this research project, the team at UWE Bristol hope to gather greater evidence of the benefits of robot technology in a school setting with the hope schools can consider engaging with the technology in the future.

The full results of the study will be published later in the year.