On February 23, 2024, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, visited the Humanoid Robots Lab at the University of Bonn to learn about the latest developments in robotics and the use of learning avatars. During his visit, Minister President Wüst praised the work of the lab and emphasized the importance of such innovations for daily life.

"The Humanoid Robots Lab at the University of Bonn demonstrates how we can experience these opportunities in our daily lives: through everyday helpers and learning avatars with which we can interact, we are experiencing a new form of support in our daily activities," said Wüst. "North Rhine-Westphalia is the most densely populated higher education and science location in Europe; our science is excellent. The research projects at the Humanoid Robots Lab help ensure that our state remains at the forefront of innovation," added the Minister President.

The Humanoid Robots Lab at the University of Bonn is known for its pioneering research in robotics and artificial intelligence. The developments made here have the potential to revolutionize people's everyday lives and enable new forms of support and interaction.

"The research project PRIVATAR was also part of the presentation—a project researching data-efficient robots that enable sick children to be present in the classroom and even interact with the class community via a mobile avatar," according to the website.

Minister President Wüst was impressed by the progress and dedication of the research team and emphasized the importance of such projects for the future.

For more information, visit: https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/041-2024

For the past two years, the organization "Elternhilfe für das krebskranke Kind e.V. Göttingen" has been providing robots to seriously ill children and adolescents so they can participate in school classes. On January 18th, a workshop was held where families and teachers shared their experiences with the avatars. Further details can now be found on Elternhaus' Instagram account:( @elternhausgoettingen ).

Link to the post: Elternhaus Instagram Post

Our latest press releases about the project are now online:

• Protecting Privacy in Distance Learning
• University of Bonn's Classroom Enhanced with Robots
• Mobile Avatars for Ill School Children

As part of our second workshop, a continuation of the initial session focusing on avatar users and direct interactors with the technology such as teachers, parents, and children, we conducted a hybrid event at Elternhaus. This format allowed for both in-person attendance and participation via the internet. During this event, we gained deeper insights into the usability and adaptability of the students, teachers, and parents involved with avatar technology. Additionally, we identified initial scenarios where audio and video streams were transmitted without all parties being informed, highlighting initial privacy concerns. It is important to note that all participants, whether parents, students, or teachers, generally responded positively to the use of avatars. The ability to involve sick children in daily school activities without their physical presence is invaluable. However, it is crucial to carefully analyze and understand potential threats or privacy concerns to enhance the security of the technology and ensure the privacy of all involved parties.