Socially Assistive Robots: A Technological Approach to Emotional Support

Abstract: In today's high-pressure and isolated society, the demand for emotional support has surged, necessitating innovative solutions. Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) offer a technological approach to providing emotional assistance by leveraging advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and sensor technologies. This study explores the development of an emotional support robot designed to detect and respond to human emotions, particularly sadness, through facial recognition and gesture analysis. Utilising the Lego Mindstorms Robotic Kit, Raspberry Pi 4, and various Python libraries, the robot is capable of delivering empathetic interactions, including comforting hugs and AI-generated conversations. Experimental findings highlight the robot's effective facial recognition accuracy, user interaction, and hug feedback mechanisms. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using SARs for emotional support, showcasing their potential features and functions. This research underscores the promise of SARs in providing innovative emotional assistance and enhancing human-robot interaction.