This well-researched paper (Fletcher, 2023) investigates the use of telepresence robot technology to support the inclusion of school pupils with physical or emotional difficulties in the UK. It examines the perspectives of users and identifies four key themes related to the technology’s potential for promoting inclusion, facilitating engagement, technical design factors, and its acceptability to users.

“There is a growth in the use of robotic telepresence technology, allowing users to remotely access an environment, to support the inclusion/attendance of school pupils experiencing physical/emotional difficulties in the UK. Educational psychologists (EPs) are likely to encounter robotic telepresence technology due to their role in supporting pupil inclusion. Despite the Department for Education exploring this technology as a form of alternative provision, there is a lack of research exploring perceptions around robotic telepresence technology. The current review explores perspectives of users. Database searches were conducted between July 2021 and September 2021, identifying studies published within the last ten years. Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria. The review identified four inductive themes: potential for robotic telepresence technology to promote inclusion; potential for robotic telepresence technology to facilitate engagement; technical design factors influencing utility; and acceptability of robotic telepresence technology to users. Findings are discussed alongside implications for educational psychologists/future research.”

Article available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02667363.2022.2155932