1. Experimental Studies

• Small-scale study presented in IROS 2021 with 10 children (ages 6–11, rural + urban). Evaluated:
  • Children’s acceptance of the robot across dimensions like likeability, perceived intelligence, trustworthiness, anthropomorphism, age, and gender.

Small-scale online study on gameplay with robots presented in RO-MAN 2022 with 32 children (ages 6–11, rural + urban). Evaluated:

Children’s acceptance of the robot across interaction level, verbal/facial engagement, and responsiveness to pro-social nudges such as help prompts and encouragement.

Found significantly higher engagement, particularly among girls when the robot displayed proactive social behavior.

Pro-social nudges did not significantly improve learning gains.

Feasibility of deploying the robot in child-centred spaces (schools, labs, community settings). The pro-social robot significantly enhanced interaction quality, showing utility in classrooms, labs, and remote education.

Small-scale study with 36 children (ages 7–11, rural India) using the HaKsh-E robot in individual and triad settings presented in ICRAS 2024. Evaluated:

Children’s acceptance of the robot through metrics such as trust, closeness, and perceived social support, along with interaction levels (eye contact, verbal response, positive emotion).

Group settings fostered higher interaction levels; individual settings prompted more verbal engagement.

Improvement in hand hygiene knowledge in both formats.

Learning gains were significantly higher in one-on-one settings, suggesting stronger educational impact in individual interactions.

2. School & Community Outreach (WAAW / ALARM)

HaKsh-E was presented in multiple schools in Kerala, engaging hundreds of students, teachers, and parents.

Outreach included:

Prevention of communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Correct handwashing steps and recommended duration.

Everyday contexts where proper hand hygiene is essential.

3. Persuasive Technology Studies

We investigated how robot-mediated interactions influence children’s motivation, understanding, and repeated practice of proper handwashing.

From the initial research publication and subsequent outreach:

1, High Acceptance & Engagement
Research studies provided evidence that children found HaKsh-E friendly, engaging, and trustworthy, indicating strong potential for the robot to function as a “health mentor” in child-centric spaces.

2, Improved Attention to Handwashing Steps
School outreach reports highlight that children better remembered the steps of handwashing, the minimum time required, and key moments when handwashing is important after interacting with HaKsh-E.

3, Positive Classroom Dynamics
During school outreach activities, teachers observed increased attentiveness and enthusiasm during sessions with HaKsh-E compared to traditional health talks.

4, Potential for Behaviour Change Monitoring
We believe that the action-recognition system can produce objective indicators of handwashing quality and duration, which can be scaled for larger studies and SDG-linked monitoring.