Robot Helps Students with Learning Disabilities1 Stay Focused2机器人帮助有学习障碍的学生保持注意力集中

李明娟

Engineering3 researchers4 at the University of Waterloo are using a robot tohelp keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work. In a newstudy， both the young students and their teachers thought the robot did play avery important role in class.

滑铁卢大学的工程研究人员正在使用一个机器人来帮助有学习障碍的儿童专注于他们的学习。在一项新的研究中，年纪小的学生和他们的老师都认为机器人在课堂上发挥了非常重要的作用。

Students with learning disabilities may get more help， such as one-on-oneteaching and the use of smartphones and tablets5. Teachers have tried to use thesocial6 robots to help students learn in these years. But most often， their study hasfocused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder7. As a result， little workhas been done on the use of social robots for students with learning disabilities.

有学习障碍的学生可能会得到更多帮助，例如一对一教学以及使用智能手机和平板电脑。近年来，教师们试图利用社交机器人来帮助学生学习。但大多数情况下，他们的研究都集中在患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童身上。因此，在为有学习障碍的学生使用社交机器人方面的工作做得很少。

Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn has been working on robots for many years. Alongwith other researchers， Dr. Dautenhahn decided to make some changes and did afew of tests with a small robot called QT. The robot could make gestures8 using itshead and hands as well as language and face. It makes it very suitable9 for use withchildren with learning disabilities.

克斯廷·道腾翰博士多年来一直在研究机器人。道腾翰博士决定和其他研究人员一起改变这一点，并用一种名为QT 的小型机器人进行了一些试验。机器人可以用它的头和手以及它的话语和表情做手势。它非常适合有学习障碍的儿童使用。

There were two groups of 16 students with learning disabilities inthe tests. In one group， students worked one-on-one with a teacheronly. In the other group， the students worked one-on-one with a teacherand a QT robot. In the second group， the teacher used a tablet to direct10 the robot. It then started activities using words and gestures.The robot would set goals and teach the students useful learning ways.

在试验中，16 名有学习障碍的学生分为两组。在第一组中，学生只与教师进行一对一的学习。在另一组中，学生与一名教师和一个QT 机器人进行一对一的学习。在第二组中，教师用平板电脑指挥机器人。然后，它开始自己使用语言和手势开展各种活动。机器人会设定目标，并为学生提供有用的学习方法。

Dr. Dautenhahn said students working with the robot were more focused ontheir work. They could finish it more quickly than the students without the robot.More studies using the robot are planned.

道腾翰博士说，使用机器人的学生更专注于自己的学习。他们可以比不用机器人的学生更快完成学习任务。已有计划使用该机器人进行更多的研究。

Notes

1. disability 残疾；缺陷；无能力；障碍

2. focused 专注的；目标明确的；聚焦的；专心的

focus 集中；关注

3. engineering 工程；工程学

4. researcher 研究人员

5. tablet 平板电脑

6. social 社会的；社交的；交际的

7. Autism Spectrum Disorder 自閉症谱系障碍

8. gesture 手势；姿势

9. suitable 适宜的；合适的

10. direct 管理；指挥