Question and answer: Can auxiliary technology be part of the family?

Published in an article in Frontiers in Robotics and AIDr. Zhao Zhao and her colleagues have investigated the long -term lifetime of a social robot that was given to 20 families in 2021 to see if it could help their children read. Four years after their previous study, the robot was no longer necessary for its primary goal, but that did not mean that it was no longer wanted.

In this interview, Zhao investigates the new roles that the robot has recorded – as a memento, pet and companion – and how our relationships with technology can change over time.

What happens to a social robot after it retires?

Four years ago we placed a small owl -shaped reading robot called Luka in the houses of 20 families. At the time, the children were toddlers, just learn to read. Luka’s work was clear: scan the pages with physical picture books and read them aloud and helps children build early literacy skills.

That was in 2021. In 2025 we went back – not expected to find a lot. The children had grown. The reading level was no longer suitable. Certainly, Luka’s work was done.

Instead we found something extraordinary.

Eighteen of the 19 families still had their robot. Many still charged it. Some used it as a music player. Some just left it on a shelf – undergoing baby books and securities – his eyes still glow softly. Luka had stayed.

This finding was not just cute. It told us a little deeper about how families relate to technology – not as tools that come and go, but as companions that get a new meaning over time.

In our interviews, parents and children Luka described in moving ways. A child called the robot ‘My little brother’. Another said that Luka was “the only pet I ever had.” Some parents admitted that they kept it more for themselves than for their children – a nostalgic memory of story stories and early milestones.

The original goal of the robot, reading aloud, was blurred. But the emotional role was deepened. Families took care of it, joked and in one case passed it to a younger cousin in what felt like a pension ceremony. This was not only long -term use, it was a long -term attachment.

In the research area of the interaction between people and computer (HCI) and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), we often focus on novelty, engagement statistics and task performance. But our study shows that even a relatively simple robot – one that does not move or does not speak freely – can become part of the symbolic life of a family.

As a favorite stuffed animal or a framed piece of children’s art, Luka switched from function to memory. A parent told us: “We don’t really use it anymore, but we couldn’t throw it away. It’s like a part of our history.” Another joked that the robot would probably follow their child to the university.

Even the placement of the robot in the house had meaning. Luka was on bookshelves, desks or bedside tables. One family added a doily under it. Another gave it a hand -drawn name tag. These were not gadgets that were stored. They could be seen artifacts.

What does this mean for designers and researchers?

It means that we have to think about the life of a robot not only in months, but in years. We should imagine Tutor to Companion, from helper to souvenir. We must consider how emotional attachment novelty survives and how the relationships of children with robots evolve, not disappear, with age.

Our participants have taught us that children do not always throw away the “baby -like” robot – they reinterpret it again. Some started ‘teaching’ Luka in exchange. Others invented stories before going to sleep or used it to calm a younger brother or sister.

And when a robot is finally ready to leave, we may need better rituals – excellent outputs that recognize the band. If a robot is finally part of the early years of your child, you can not only disconnect it. You say goodbye.

As more families bring AI-driven companions to their homes, we should not only better understand how they are used but how they are remembered. Because the robot sometimes stays.