Developing a Social Robot - A Case Study

Social robotics is currently challenging researchers to look at virtually every topic with relevance for human societies. The multidisciplinary nature of this new area is emerging at a fast pace and, at the same time, multiple challenges are also emerging. This chapter addresses the development of a social robot, including baseline work developed during the European FP7 Project Monarch on a social robot for edutainment activities for inpatient children in the Pediatrics ward of an oncological hospital, and the work developed in the post-project period. The long period (Monarch started in early 2013) allowed a diversity of experiments that resulted in valuable lessons and in the blossoming of new ideas and challenges. The overview of the Monarch project is the leitmotiv for a critical view of social robotics and the identification of key challenges, on the light of current technologies and social trends and expectations.