Social Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Inclusion: Assistive and Interactive Technologies

Social robotics and artificial intelligence are emerging as powerful tools for promoting inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities. Individuals with cognitive, motor, sensory, or multiple impairments continue to face barriers in education, communication, mobility, employment, and social participation. Advances in socially interactive robots, virtual agents, adaptive AI systems, and intelligent assistive technologies are creating new opportunities to address these challenges, support autonomy, and foster meaningful engagement in learning, care, and everyday activities. Such technologies can support communication, scaffold learning processes, and provide personalized assistance adapted to users’ needs and preferences. At the same time, the deployment of these systems raises important ethical, social, and cultural considerations when applied to vulnerable populations. This Research Topic invites contributions that examine how social robotics and AI can be responsibly designed and implemented to promote inclusion, equity, and improved quality of life for people with disabilities.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how social robots and AI-driven technologies can support inclusive and equitable solutions for people with disabilities. We welcome original research articles, systematic and scoping reviews, technology reports, case studies, and perspective papers that investigate the design, deployment, and evaluation of socially interactive systems in educational, therapeutic, and community contexts. Contributions may explore human–robot interaction, personalized and adaptive systems, inclusive design practices, and participatory or co-design approaches involving people with disabilities, caregivers, educators, clinicians, and other stakeholders. Submissions may also examine methodological frameworks, evaluation strategies, and real-world implementations, including applications in low-resource environments and diverse socio-cultural contexts. Interdisciplinary contributions bridging engineering, computer science, education, health sciences, and social sciences are especially welcome. By integrating technical, methodological, and socio-ethical perspectives, this Research Topic seeks to foster a comprehensive and responsible research agenda on social robotics and artificial intelligence for inclusion.We welcome manuscripts on social robots, virtual agents, AI-driven assistive technologies, wearable devices, and smart environments supporting learning, communication, rehabilitation, diagnosis, clinical monitoring, and social interaction. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Social robotics and human–robot interaction for inclusion • Robots and intelligent agents in inclusive and special education • Assistive and socially interactive robots in therapy and care • AI-driven assistive technologies for people with disabilities • AI systems for rehabilitation, diagnosis, and clinical support • Adaptive and personalized AI for accessibility • Participatory and co-design approaches with people with disabilities • Evaluation methods and user studies in assistive robotics and AI • Ethical, social, and cultural implications of AI and robotics in inclusion • Applications in low-resource or underserved contexts Interdisciplinary studies addressing ethical implications (privacy, transparency, equity, accessibility, responsible innovation) are encouraged. Topic editors: Raul Benites Paradeda, Joana Campos, Anderson Souza Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79652/social-robotics-and-artificial-intelligence-for-inclusion-assistive-and-interactive-technologies