Let’s Play!

Developing a Scalable Playbot to Foster Offline Social Play Among Children

With increasing digitalization, children are engaging in offline play with others less frequently, resulting in heightened risks of loneliness, obesity, and underdeveloped social skills. Across Europe, this trend has contributed to the rise of an “anxious generation,” with mental health challenges linked to excessive social media exposure and declining face-to-face interactions.

While banning digital tools is not a viable solution – given their strong appeal and role in fostering digital literacy – emerging technologies offer an alternative approach. Robots, for instance, are increasingly recognized as effective mediators of interaction and play. Research highlights that children respond positively to robots, following their instructions and interacting with them as engaging, human-like playmates.

This project aims to develop a small, scalable, and autonomous ‘Playbot’ designed to inspire and facilitate play among children. Tailored to the weather, environment, personal preferences, and developmental needs, the Playbot will encourage children to engage in diverse offline activities together, fostering social connection and active play.

As a seed money initiative, this project will focus on creating and testing an initial prototype. The findings will identify critical knowledge gaps, key research and practical questions, and establish partnerships with European collaborators, laying the groundwork for a compelling and competitive Horizon grant application.