{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:39:55Z","timestamp":1760060395598,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756166400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics Engineering Laboratory (RAMEL), Ecuador"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["MTI"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The absence of parental presence has a direct impact on the emotional stability and social routines of children, especially during extended periods of separation from their family environment, as in the case of daycare centers, hospitals, or when they remain alone at home. At the same time, the technology currently available to provide emotional support in these contexts remains limited. In response to the growing need for emotional support and companionship in child care, this project proposes the development of a multi-platform software architecture based on artificial intelligence (AI), designed to be integrated into humanoid robots that assist children between the ages of 6 and 14. The system enables daily verbal and non-verbal interactions intended to foster a sense of presence and personalized connection through conversations, games, and empathetic gestures. Built on the Robot Operating System (ROS), the software incorporates modular components for voice command processing, real-time facial expression generation, and joint movement control. These modules allow the robot to hold natural conversations, display dynamic facial expressions on its LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen, and synchronize gestures with spoken responses. Additionally, a graphical interface enhances the coherence between dialogue and movement, thereby improving the quality of human\u2013robot interaction. Initial evaluations conducted in controlled environments assessed the system\u2019s fluency, responsiveness, and expressive behavior. Subsequently, it was implemented in a pediatric hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where it accompanied children during their recovery. It was observed that this type of artificial intelligence-based software, can significantly enhance the experience of children, opening promising opportunities for its application in clinical, educational, recreational, and other child-centered settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/mti9090088","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T14:43:18Z","timestamp":1756219398000},"page":"88","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Development of a Multi-Platform AI-Based Software Interface for the Accompaniment of Children"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-4101-6099","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isaac","family":"Le\u00f3n","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0245-0235","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Camila","family":"Reyes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iesus","family":"Davila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2194-6853","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bryan","family":"Puruncajas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dennys","family":"Paillacho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Development and Innovation Center of Computer Systems\u2014CIDIS, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nayeth","family":"Solorzano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Arte, Dise\u00f1o y Comunicaci\u00f3n Audiovisual, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5348-4032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcelo","family":"Fajardo-Pruna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1091-0716","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyungpil","family":"Moon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4220-010X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco","family":"Yumbla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda en Mec\u00e1nica y Ciencias de la Producci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior Polit\u00e9cnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 V\u00eda Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bardill, A., Xerri, D., and Dautenhahn, K. 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