ChiCaRo: Tele-presence Robot for Interacting with Babies and Toddlers

This paper reports a tele-presence robot named ChiCaRo, which is designed for interaction with babies and toddlers. ChiCaRo can physically interact with babies and toddlers by moving around and using its small hand. We conducted a field trial at a playroom where babies and toddlers can freely play to investigate ChiCaRo's effectiveness. In the experiment adult participants interacted with their babies and toddlers by ChiCaRo and another robot. The adult participants evaluated ChiCaRo highly in the context of remote interaction with their babies and toddlers.