Building Robots to Support Childhood Creativity with Dr. Patrícia Alves-Oliveira

In Part 2 of this double espresso interview, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood continue speaking with Dr. Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, a Postdoctoral Researcher who focuses on designing human-robot interaction. Patrícia is interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education, foster creativity in children, and improve mental health among adolescents. 

Tune in to learn how robotics and future technologies can inspire and enhance creativity in young children. Patrícia talks about why she has focused her research on robots and human creativity, the key difference between robotics and artificial intelligence, and the mission behind YOLO, a robot she developed to boost creativity in children. 

“There is a lot of influence in our social brain when we interact with a robot compared to when we interact with something that is virtual but still has AI and could even be saying the exact same thing the robot is saying.” – Patrícia Alves-Oliveira

The trio discusses the fascinating role of cobots, or collaborative robots, in the future of education, along with the potential opportunities we have in using robots to support children’s growth and mental health. Patrícia speaks on the problems and solutions she’s encountered in using robots to address mental health issues in teenagers. Then, she details the most effective technological experiences for promoting creative skills in young kids. 

Patrícia’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:

1. Intentionally trigger your inner child. Make it an important mindset for you to be playful, curious, and explorative. 
2. Don’t say “no” immediately.
3. Keep it simple. You don’t need much, you usually just need the right space and the right time to do things.
4. Don’t put everything on yourself. Children interact with so many other people that can help promote creativity, so leverage that connection.

Patrícia Alves-Oliveira is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington in Seattle. Patrícia received her Ph.D. in Human-Robot Interaction studies in 2020 from the University Institute of Lisbon and spent time at Cornell University as a Visiting Graduate Scholar. Her research focuses on designing human-robot interaction. She is especially interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education. During her PhD, she studied the application of robots in fostering creativity in children. Now, during her postdoc, she is investigating how robots can demystify and improve mental health among adolescents. Patricia’s interdisciplinary work unifies the fields of robotics, design, and psychology.