A mechanical friend for children
Read A mechanical friend for children and check the IELTS Reading answers. The development of robots that interact socially with people and assist them in everyday life has been an elusive goal of modern science. Despite impressive advances in the mechanical aspects of this problem, producing robot…
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The development of robots that interact socially with people and assist them in everyday life has been an elusive goal of modern science. Despite impressive advances in the mechanical aspects of this problem, producing robots that bond and socialize with people for sustained periods of time has proven difficult. The most successful robots so far have been storytellers, but they have only been able to maintain human interest for a limited time and typically rely on the robot telling stories that change over time. In practice, commercially available robots seldom cross the 10- hour barrier (i.e. individual users tend to spend less than a combined total of 10 hours with the robots before losing interest). This observation is in sharp contrast to the long- term interactions and bonding that commonly develop between humans and their pets.
Vocabulary from this passage
8 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- autonomous adjective
Acting independently or having the freedom to do so without external control
Autonomous vehicles use sensors and artificial intelligence to navigate traffic without human intervention.
- cadre noun
A small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession
A cadre of expert engineers was assembled to troubleshoot the failing power plant.
- elusive adjective
Difficult to find, catch, or achieve, often used for scientific or abstract goals
The cure for the common cold remains an elusive goal for medical researchers worldwide.
- humanoid adjective
Having an appearance or character resembling that of a human being
The factory introduced humanoid robots to work alongside human employees on the assembly line.
- immersion noun
The state of being completely involved in a particular activity or environment
Language immersion programs are the most effective way to achieve fluency in a foreign tongue.
- propensity noun
An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way
Humans have a natural propensity to seek social interaction and form community bonds.
- repertoire noun
A stock of skills or types of behavior that a person habitually uses
The pianist has an extensive repertoire that includes works from the Baroque to modern eras.
- sustain verb
To strengthen or support physically or mentally over a long period of time
It is difficult to sustain a high level of concentration for more than two hours.
Answers with explanations
- 14. D
Paragraph D provides a **comparison** of the toddlers' behaviors toward two **different robots**: the humanoid QRIO and the stationary Robby. It notes that while care-taking and hugging increased for QRIO, interest in Robby declined, showing a clear distinction in reaction.
- 15. F
In paragraph F, the researchers **speculate** about the future of robotic tutors. They suggest that these machines might **communicate** by approximating human **social skills**, specifically through non-verbal methods like **facial expressions** and **eye gaze** to react to social cues.
- 16. D
Paragraph D describes a **change** in the children's physical interactions. Initially, they touched QRIO's face, but as they bonded, they shifted to touching its **hands and arms**. The text highlights this as a transition toward treating the robot more like a **human** peer.
- 17. A
Paragraph A sets the context by **comparing** human-robot interactions with the **bonding** seen between **humans and pets**. It notes that while we easily form long-term connections with animals, achieving similar sustained interest with robots remains a significant challenge.
- 18. C
Paragraph C provides an **account** of the methodology used to control the robot. It explains how the robot was **programmed** or 'instructed' every two minutes to perform specific actions, detailing the mechanical way the interactions were facilitated during the 45 sessions.
- 19. B
The answer is **Javier R Movellan**. In Paragraph F, Movellan specifically argues that future robotic success requires going beyond intelligence to include **feelings** or **emotion**, which matches the statement about robots needing to 'show feelings' to be effective social partners.
- 20. C
The answer is **Ronald Arkin**. Paragraph G quotes Arkin expressing **uncertainty** about the long-term impact of robots on social development. He emphasizes the need to understand if the contact will be **beneficial** ('good thing') or harmful ('bad thing') for human society.
- 21. A
The answer is **Fumihide Tanaka**. In Paragraph B, Tanaka explains the choice of 18- to 24-month-old subjects, stating that these **very young children** lack **preconceived notions** (developed ideas) about robots, making them ideal for an unbiased study of social interaction.
- 22. D
The answer is **David Powers**. In Paragraph G, Powers observes that a **broad repertoire of behaviors** (variety of actions) is more important for human relation than mere mechanical impressiveness, matching the statement about the need for a 'wide variety of actions'.
- 23. A
The answer is **Fumihide Tanaka**. Paragraph F records Tanaka’s view that these robots have 'great potential' in **educational settings**. He believes they can provide **benefits** by assisting teachers and making the classroom environment richer for students.
- 24. storytellers
The answer is **storytellers**. Paragraph A explains that until the recent study, the machines most effective at maintaining human attention were those designed as **storytellers**. However, even these typically failed to sustain interest for more than a few hours.
- 25. peer
The answer is **peer**. Paragraph E concludes that as the study progressed, the children stopped seeing the robot as a 'plaything' (toy) and began responding to it as a **peer** or friend, reflecting a deep level of social bonding.
- 26. affection
The answer is **affection**. In Paragraph G, Arkin remarks that he was not surprised by the **affection** the children showed. He attributes this to a general human **propensity** to bond with artifacts like dolls, cars, or robots.