Mission Project Empowering Future Generations by Integrating Robotics, Learning Sciences, and Participatory Design for Fostering Critical Thinking and Wellbeing in Children and Teens

EFG advances AAU’s Mission on Improved Wellbeing among Children and Youth by co-designing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions that use social and educational robots to support engagement, inclusion, and socio-emotional development in schools and special pedagogy settings. Building on two completed AAU pilots (1) a classroom robotics+AI literacy demonstrator aligned with UNESCO’s AI policy for children; and (2) LuxAI-supported learning tools co-designed with social educators, we will integrate technical literacy with wellbeing-oriented pedagogy and responsible AI practices. The project addresses key wellbeing determinants in school contexts: a sense of competence and autonomy, social connectedness, Participation, and equitable access to meaningful learning. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across TECH and SSH faculties and co-creation with educators, municipalities, and youth, EFG will produce ready-to-use toolkits and robot integrations, teacher training modules, and validated protocols for both mainstream and special education. We will evaluate impacts with validated wellbeing and engagement measures, ensuring GDPR-compliant, ethics-by-design methods.