5 papers
VIDP: Variable Impedance Diffusion Policy for Compliant Robot Manipulation from Diverse Demonstrations
Hisham Khalil, Neil Fernandes, Thomas M. Kwok +2
Contact-rich manipulation requires precise tracking and mechanical compliance, where variable impedance control can improve robustness in task success, whereas static compliance ca…
Play-Testing REMind: Evaluating an Educational Robot-Mediated Role-Play Game
Elaheh Sanoubari, Neil Fernandes, Keith Rebello +3
This paper presents REMind, an innovative educational robot-mediated role-play game designed to support anti-bullying bystander intervention among children. REMind invites players…
"You've got a friend in me": Co-Designing a Peer Social Robot for Young Newcomers' Language and Cultural Learning
Neil Fernandes, Cheng Tang, Tehniyat Shahbaz +4
Community literacy programs supporting young newcomer children in Canada face limited staffing and scarce one-to-one time, which constrains personalized English and cultural learni…
Aesthetics of Robot-Mediated Applied Drama: A Case Study on REMind
Elaheh Sanoubari, Alicia Pan, Keith Rebello +3
Social robots are increasingly used in education, but most applications cast them as tutors offering explanation-based instruction. We explore an alternative: Robot-Mediated Applie…
Co-designing a Social Robot for Newcomer Children's Cultural and Language Learning
Neil Fernandes, Tehniyat Shahbaz, Emily Davies-Robinson +2
Newcomer children face barriers in acquiring the host country's language and literacy programs are often constrained by limited staffing, mixed-proficiency cohorts, and short conta…