Children more candid about mental health when talking to robot, study finds

Cambridge research finds 60cm-tall humanoid called Nao helped children open up about feelings

The Nao robot looks more like a prop from a low-budget sci-fi film than the cutting edge of medical research. But a study found that children felt more comfortable confiding in the child-sized, quizzical-looking humanoid than when responding to mental health assessments with their parents, in some cases disclosing information that they had not previously shared.

The team, from the University of Cambridge, say the findings suggest a wider role for robots in assessing children's mental health - although they said that they would not be intended as a substitute for professional mental health support.