Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Integrating augmented reality technology and interactive objects to enhance children's learning.

NAPOLI - 03/12/2015

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

The research lines ofNAC

Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

We try to explain the psychological processes through the construction of artificial adaptive systems (digital agents, autonomous robots)

Cognition and behavior are the two sides of our psychological processes.

We believe that to understand our mental life is important to study and explain the interactions and the dynamics between the brain (s), the body (s), social environment (s) in a developmental perspective.

In our laboratory we explore how cognition can emerge from evolutionary processes, trying to replicate the structures and functions of living things by building robots and digital agents.

Evolutionary Psychology

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Develop adaptive technologies to enhance / support learning, education and training

Learning, education and teaching are human activities that use massively various technological tools.

When technologies are completely isomorphic to our neuro-cognitive structures we consider them as a natural extension of our mind / body.

Our laboratory seeks to explore the possibility of transferring the "adaptive" technology, developed for theoretical purposes, in the "educational".

APPLIED RESEARCH

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Adaptive and personalized technology-enhanced learning

Use technology of Augmented Reality (Augmented Reality, AR) and the Internet of things (Internet of Things, IOT)

Technological systems isomorphic to the human neuro-cognitive structures and easy to understand and use. Considering also that the technologies of the Internet of Things can be used on communication projects for the general public to make interesting and interactive visitor experiences for museums and science parks.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Block Magic start considering that:

the physical educational games and the traditional psycho-pedagogical methodologies are deeply based on the manipulation of objects.

The opportunity derived by some low-cost technologies could join the physical world with the digital tools creating Augmented Reality Environments based on the concepts of Internet of Things (IoT).

The objective of the project was to recover some traditional psycho-pedagogical, Montessori-inspired approaches, finalized at active learning/teaching for real inclusion of children, exploiting the opportunity of current technologies.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

In this field, the RFID/NFC technology seems to be a natural candidate due to its natural predisposition to be heavily connected to real objects and send the signal to the digital devices.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Block Magic developed a functional prototypal system that enhanced the Logical Blocks Box (Dienes, 1971, 1972), a structured material widely used in kindergartens, primary schools, rehabilitation centres, baby-parks, children’s hospitals and the home. The Block Magic research of developed an active desk/board able to recognize concrete blocks equipped with the RFID passive tag and to communicate with a PC or a tablet.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Each augmented magic block had an integrated/attached passive RFID sensor for wireless identification of each single block.

A specially designed wireless RFID reader device, an active board, was used which could read the RFID of a block and transmit the result to the Block Magic software engine.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

Dedicated software embedded in the engine exploited the Artificial Intelligence with a double task:

• on the one hand, to represents a trainer, able to seek the specific learning curve of each child

• on the other to provide teacher or parents with a tracking system for evaluating the session played (see video at www.blockmagic.eu).

The Adaptive Tutor System embedded in the engine that ensures autonomous interaction between the user and the system, receiving active support, corrective indications, feedback and positive reinforcement from the digital assistant.

Dr. Angelo Rega - Psychologist - Psychotherapist - PhD in psychology. - Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab - Department of Humanities - University of Naples Federico II http://www.nac.unina.it

GRAZIE

www.nac.unina.it