Social Robotics

During the programme, you will work in a multidisciplinary research team. You and your teammates come from various fields such as: psychology, social work, education, healthcare, engineering, media, IT, communication and business. All of you will bring the specific knowledge from your field and together you will find creative ways to utilise these skills. Combining your strengths will give you the opportunity to come up and design new solutions in the field of social robots.

The Social Robotics programme focuses on the interaction between robots and humans in education, healthcare and hospitality. You will learn how people interact with robots, how to design social robots and how to do good research. Later you will use this knowledge in a large research project. Projects of recent years include:

• The robot as a teacher assistant
  Students researched how robots can support primary school teachers and increase the learning outcomes of children. Watch the video Stel je voor: een robot die de leerkracht helpt in de klas (in Dutch only).
  
  
• Healthcare robots
  We also developed robots for a children’s hospital (Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis) in the Netherlands. These robots stimulate children to exercise, increase children’s involvement in sport and play, and distracted them from being sick. Watch the video Studenten programmeren robots voor WKZ- Hogeschool Utrecht (in Dutch only).

Would you like to know more about this programme or do you have a specific question? Please contact the programme coordinator, Sam Leewis.

The programme takes place during one semester with a total of 30 ECTS. You will be assessed using several assessment methods such as exams, presentations and a paper.

In our course guide you can find all relevant information about the programme in one practical document. Download it here for your convenience.

• Social Robotics

To enter this programme, you need to have a strong interest in social robots. Furthermore, you are expected to have attained English language skills at CEFR level B2. If you are unsure about your level, you can do a (free) written and spoken assessment. Contact the programme coordinator for more information.

English CEFR level B2

Please note: You may be asked to take a language assessment test before the start of the programme. If your English language skills are below the required level, you may not be able to enter the course, as you need to be able to actively participate in (parts of) the programme. In all cases, the programme manager makes the final decision.