Petimo: Children’s Companion for Safe Social Networking

A novel interactive approach that helps children make friends in safe social networks and reassures parents that their children are protected.

With the exponential expansion of digital media, more children are using social networks to communicate with their friends, and their numbers will grow rapidly in the future. But cyberspace is an increasingly unsafe environment that often victimizes children. Petimo is an interactive robotic toy that protects children from the dangers of online social networks and provides fun, face-to-face interaction with friends. It requires physical proximity before children can add friends to their social cyberworlds. In addition, children experience enhanced relationships with their friends through interactions in the real and virtual worlds by sending gifts and emoticons mediated by Petimo with haptic, visual, and audible events.

Petimo is designed specially for children between seven and nine years of age. Its many cutely designed interfaces, emoticons, and gifts have been specially designed to enhance its appeal to children. When the robot is squeezed or a gift is received, it displays a joyfully beaming face with a trilled sound. Children can use Petimo as a social networking tool, a learning companion, and/or a pet. 

This demonstration also features Petimo World, which provides interactions such as 3D visualization of spatial arrangements, so children can understand how close their friendships are, interact with personalized avatars, and send special gifts and emoticons. 

Adrian David Cheok
National University of Singapore and Keio University

Owen Noel Newton Fernando 
National University of Singapore

Charith Lasantha Fernando 
Keio University

Kening Zhu 
National University of Singapore

Anusha Indrajith Withana 
Keio University

Nimesha Ranasinghe 
National University of Singapore

Yukihiro Morisawa 
Keio University

Kasun Karunanayaka 
National University of Singapore

Makoto Danjo
Keio University

Isuru Sawubhagya Godage 
Michelle Narangoda 
National University of Singapore

Nancy Lan-Lan Ma 
Miyuru Dayarathna 
Keio University

Roshan Lalintha Peiris 
James Keng Soon Teh 
Dilrukshi Abeyrathne 
Chamari Priyange Edirisinghe 
Kris Hoogendoorn 
Junsong Hou
Wei Wang Thang 
National University of Singapore