YALE UNIVERSITY

Robot and Software: The robot we are using is a commercially-available robot named Vector that was developed and sold by Anki until the company's closure in 2018. There are several hundred thousand of these robots in the US, and many are still available from online retailers for under $120. The software that we have developed will be released as a free download for both Android and iOS devices... Our group has developed an application that allows children to play remotely with their friends and distant family using an inexpensive, commercial robot. Using the software we have developed, a child in one home can use a phone or tablet to take control and "become" the robot in another child's home. The remote child can see through the robot's camera, control the robot as it drives around and engage in a variety of games with the child in the home with the robot. Via the robot, they can play hide and seek, build challenging obstacle courses for the robot, and engage in other simple games...

Also known as: Robots for Good