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Virtual role-playing teaches kids the harm of bullying
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One Per Cent
IF CHILDREN could step into the shoes of a victim of bullying, would they be less likely to push others around? That’s the hope behind a virtual reality system, on trial in 10 schools in Massachusetts, that seeks to give kids a perspective on how cruel treatment affects their peers. Called SchoolLife, the system portrays what happens when John, a shy and bookish boy, accidentally jostles a popular girl called Sarah. She then tells people to ignore him and posts cruel messages on Facebook, no matter how much John apologises. Children who are given John’s role find themselves isolated. They hear that they can seek help from a friend, Eliza, who is also part of Sarah’s friend group. But Eliza gives John the cold shoulder, and no other classmates will reach out to him, leaving the user feeling hurt by a former ally who seems to have become Sarah’s lackey. When users play the role of Eliza, however, they can see that she is acting under peer pressure, not out of malice. SchoolLife is the creation of GiantOtter, a start-up in Boston co-founded by Geoff Marietta. He says the idea is that experiencing other students’ points of view will help foster better relationships between pupils and so reduce bullying. Right now, pairs of students play
out each scenario as John and Eliza, typing in requests or responses to questions. The interactions are collected and stored in a database, to be classified according to the psychological strategies the children use to navigate the situation. Ultimately, the idea is to have users interact with artificially intelligent characters. If the software deems that a user’s input is consistent with resolving the conflict amicably, the virtual characters might respond more favourably. For instance, if someone playing John says he understands
“If a user’s input is in line with resolving the conflict amicably, the characters respond more favourably” that Eliza is under pressure from her peer group, then Eliza might be more open to helping patch things up with Sarah. If not, then things might continue to go badly. Deborah Eakin, a psychologist at Mississippi State University, is intrigued by the approach. “I do see some value in having a kid virtually experience what the bullied kid experiences,” she says. Marietta and his partner Jeff Orkin now want to improve SchoolLife by augmenting the characters’ body language and giving them voices. Hal Hodson n
Dicky Ma
Virtual role-playing shows kids the harm of bullying
Eyelash control for your gadgets Who needs Google Glass, when your mascara or fake eyelashes can control gadgets? Katia Vega, a computer scientist at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has developed a range of conducting cosmetics. On 10 October she showed how, with the blink of an eye, she could launch a drone or set 100 LEDs in her hair sparkling like a Christmas tree. The aim of her “beauty technology” is to make gadget interactions quicker and more efficient. She presented the work at the Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces conference at the University of St Andrews, UK.
“The American people deserve better; the best and brightest should be empowered to serve as much as they are willing and able.” Lily Bradley, a federal employee who found work using online job board Unfurlough.us, set up by the firm 1776
Battle of the donkey drones A new technology contest aims to find ways to make drones useful for people living in isolated rural areas. The Flying Donkey Challenge will see teams attempt to carry a 20-kilogram payload over 50 kilometres in under an hour, flying a course at the base of Mount Kenya. Simon Johnson of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne announced the competition last week at the Drones and Aerial Robotics Conference in New York. The goal is to produce drones that can replicate what donkeys do, only faster.
GiantOtter
It’s all over now, baby blue A portable light-up tent could save infants in the developing world from a host of severe impairments brought on by jaundice. Called the Bili-Hut and developed by paediatrician Donna Brezinski, it bathes babies in blue light – a known cure for the condition. About one-tenth as expensive as typical phototherapy machines, the device folds into a small shipping tube, and can run for a month on a 12-volt battery.
–Don’t get even – get over it– 19 October 2013 | NewScientist | 21
One Per Cent
IF CHILDREN could step into the shoes of a victim of bullying, would they be less likely to push others around? That’s the hope behind a virtual reality system, on trial in 10 schools in Massachusetts, that seeks to give kids a perspective on how cruel treatment affects their peers. Called SchoolLife, the system portrays what happens when John, a shy and bookish boy, accidentally jostles a popular girl called Sarah. She then tells people to ignore him and posts cruel messages on Facebook, no matter how much John apologises. Children who are given John’s role find themselves isolated. They hear that they can seek help from a friend, Eliza, who is also part of Sarah’s friend group. But Eliza gives John the cold shoulder, and no other classmates will reach out to him, leaving the user feeling hurt by a former ally who seems to have become Sarah’s lackey. When users play the role of Eliza, however, they can see that she is acting under peer pressure, not out of malice. SchoolLife is the creation of GiantOtter, a start-up in Boston co-founded by Geoff Marietta. He says the idea is that experiencing other students’ points of view will help foster better relationships between pupils and so reduce bullying. Right now, pairs of students play
out each scenario as John and Eliza, typing in requests or responses to questions. The interactions are collected and stored in a database, to be classified according to the psychological strategies the children use to navigate the situation. Ultimately, the idea is to have users interact with artificially intelligent characters. If the software deems that a user’s input is consistent with resolving the conflict amicably, the virtual characters might respond more favourably. For instance, if someone playing John says he understands
“If a user’s input is in line with resolving the conflict amicably, the characters respond more favourably” that Eliza is under pressure from her peer group, then Eliza might be more open to helping patch things up with Sarah. If not, then things might continue to go badly. Deborah Eakin, a psychologist at Mississippi State University, is intrigued by the approach. “I do see some value in having a kid virtually experience what the bullied kid experiences,” she says. Marietta and his partner Jeff Orkin now want to improve SchoolLife by augmenting the characters’ body language and giving them voices. Hal Hodson n
Dicky Ma
Virtual role-playing shows kids the harm of bullying
Eyelash control for your gadgets Who needs Google Glass, when your mascara or fake eyelashes can control gadgets? Katia Vega, a computer scientist at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has developed a range of conducting cosmetics. On 10 October she showed how, with the blink of an eye, she could launch a drone or set 100 LEDs in her hair sparkling like a Christmas tree. The aim of her “beauty technology” is to make gadget interactions quicker and more efficient. She presented the work at the Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces conference at the University of St Andrews, UK.
“The American people deserve better; the best and brightest should be empowered to serve as much as they are willing and able.” Lily Bradley, a federal employee who found work using online job board Unfurlough.us, set up by the firm 1776
Battle of the donkey drones A new technology contest aims to find ways to make drones useful for people living in isolated rural areas. The Flying Donkey Challenge will see teams attempt to carry a 20-kilogram payload over 50 kilometres in under an hour, flying a course at the base of Mount Kenya. Simon Johnson of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne announced the competition last week at the Drones and Aerial Robotics Conference in New York. The goal is to produce drones that can replicate what donkeys do, only faster.
GiantOtter
It’s all over now, baby blue A portable light-up tent could save infants in the developing world from a host of severe impairments brought on by jaundice. Called the Bili-Hut and developed by paediatrician Donna Brezinski, it bathes babies in blue light – a known cure for the condition. About one-tenth as expensive as typical phototherapy machines, the device folds into a small shipping tube, and can run for a month on a 12-volt battery.
–Don’t get even – get over it– 19 October 2013 | NewScientist | 21