Robot Toi for Cohabitative STEAM Learning that Changes with Children

Abstract

What interactions and forms of learning arise when a weak robot -a robot endowed with lifelike behaviors and limited functional capabilities- enters elementary school classrooms? This study develops Toi, a weak robot designed to live alongside children and to evolve through sustained interaction, and examines its potential as a Cohabitative STEAM learning environment. Toi departs from conventional educational robots that prioritize kit-based assembly and programming; instead, it intentionally embodies vulnerability to elicit care and attachment from pupils. Grounded in social constructivist theory, this design is intended to promote peer collaboration and to support ongoing, socially situated learning. To evaluate these propositions, two field studies were conducted in classroom settings. Data collection combined qualitative observations and interviews with quantitative survey measures administered to participating students and teachers. Findings indicate that children’s emotional attachment to Toi contributed to sustained engagement and that Toi functioned as a social mediator, facilitating collaborative problem solving and peer-to-peer learning. The study concludes with design implications for educational robotics, arguing that deliberately “weak” social agents can scaffold long-term, affective, and collaborative STEAM learning.