Abstract
While many robots are designed to assist people, their increasing intelligence across social and cognitive tasks may hinder humans from developing their own abilities due to over-reliance. We present prior, ongoing, and proposed work to explore how human-robot interaction (HRI) can instead empower human learning. First, we examined how robots integrate into learning ecosystems, uncovering that learning supporters prefer robots to act as their collaborators instead of replacement. Our framework identified collaboration mechanisms and was validated through prototype development and field evaluation. Next, we investigated how mobile robots can enhance in situ learning in the physical world through situated cognitive mechanisms. Finally, we plan to develop robotic arm prototypes that convey abstract learning concepts through manipulation of physical objects. Through these efforts, we aim to transform HRI from assistance to empowerment, enabling humans to enhance their capabilities through meaningful interactions.