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Artificial intelligence

Robot Assistant Aims to Help 'New Scots' Resettle More Effectively

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with the Central & West Integration Network (CWIN), a Glasgow-based community organisation, are developing a social robot designed to help refugees and asylum seekers access information and support in their native languages. The prototype system, built around a robot head made by Furhat Robotics, is capable of interacting with users in Modern Standard Arabic and English, and will eventually provide access to a custom-built database of local services. The robot is being tested with the help of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers who receive support from CWIN, and the team is working to expand the languages the robot can use.

Key Takeaways:

  • The University of Glasgow and CWIN are developing a social robot that uses human-robot interaction and linguistics to help refugees and asylum seekers access information and support in their native languages.
  • The prototype system, built around a Furhat Robotics head, is capable of interacting with users in Modern Standard Arabic and English, and can provide access to a custom-built database of local services.
  • The team has conducted focus groups with nine Syrian refugees and asylum seekers who participate in the CWIN services to design and test the robot.
  • The participants provided feedback on the usability of the robot, including suggestions for its language support and gender presentation.
  • The study's findings will be presented at the 2025 International Conference on Social Robotics + AI in Naples, Italy later this year.

Statistics:

  • Scotland hosts approximately 16% of the UK's population of Syrian refugees who arrived under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
  • Around 650 Syrian refugees are currently awaiting asylum decisions in Scotland.
  • The Central & West Integration Network (CWIN) receives refugees and asylum seekers from all over Glasgow and beyond.
  • CWIN has been in operation since 2009, providing various services, including weekly English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, a community food pantry, wellbeing activities, and access to information, advice, and advocacy.

Sources:

  • University of Glasgow news release: https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1209423_en.html
  • Central & West Integration Network: https://www.cwin.org.uk/
  • Furhat Robotics: https://www.furhatrobotics.com/
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden: https://www.kth.se/en
  • 2025 International Conference on Social Robotics + AI:

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