The Hugging Robot | Tumble Episode
What makes a good hug, and how would a scientist even find out? In this episode you'll meet roboticist Alexis Block, who built a robot called HuggieBot to give people hugs when the ones they love are too far away. Along the way, she tested hug after hug in her lab and came up with a list of 11 "ingredients" for a great embrace. Can a robot really give a good hug? Listen and find out!
🎧 Listen to the Episode
🤖 What Kids Will Learn
Why an engineer decided to build a robot whose only job is giving hugs.
What it takes to turn a big, gray, slightly scary machine into something people want to hug.
How scientists study something as personal as a hug, by running experiments with real people, collecting data, and revising their ideas along the way.
🔎About The Featured Expert
Dr. Alexis E. Block is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, where she directs the SaPHaRI (Social and Physical Human-Robot Interaction) Lab. She designs robots and other interactive technologies that are empathetic and emotionally intelligent, with the goal of supporting people's well-being and strengthening their connections with one another. She is best known for HuggieBot, a series of hugging robots she built to investigate how a robot can give a responsive, comforting embrace. Alexis has received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Max Planck Society's Otto Hahn Medal. She earned her doctorate from ETH ZĂĽrich through the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, and holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
See Huggie Bot in Action
🧑‍🏫 Classroom & Home Resources
đź”— NGSS Alignment: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-3
đź“ś Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
đź“š Learn More:
Explore 25+ free robotics projects, lessons, and activities from Science Buddies, including brushbots, drawing robots, and a robotic hand made from straws, all using the engineering design process to build, test, and improve
đź’¬ Discussion Questions
Do you think that building a robot is a good way to study what makes a human like a hug? Why or why not?
Were Alexis's reasons for studying hugs interesting to you? Why or why not?
Does building a robot help us understand more about what it means to be human? Explain your answer.
🎧 More Episodes About Inventing Solutions: How to Be an Inventor, How Do Toilets Work?, What to Do About Trash?
📚 For Teachers: Explore our Audio Courses for NGSS-aligned science learning.
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