The overall aim of the HEART project was to increase the capacities of the adult education systems in the partner countries by introducing new online tools to support educators and trainers in using robotics technology. One of the specific goals was mapping the field of educational robotics and showing the interconnections between technologies and practices, relevant to the needs of adult learners, also learners with disabilities. In the more general level we aimed to increase capacity of the partners and enhance cooperation between them, to create an international network of trainers and educators with a specific knowledge in the field of educational robotics, and to increase synergies between the adult education, the higher education and the robotics sectors.
HEART project is related to the wide area of educational robotics with specific focus on the supportive role of robots in adult education and inclusion of people with disabilities. While preparing the project application we have noticed that the most of the research focuses on the use of educational robots in school education for children and few projects or initiatives have focused attention on adult education. We could not find any comprehensive resources to support adult educators interested in beginning their endeavor with robotics. We have identified four target groups and needs to be addressed. Educators who want to use robots with adult learners lack the information of what is available on the market and how they should make use of it. There is a dearth of information on best practices for using robots in adult education, particularly for persons with disabilities. The third group comprising experts from the partner organizations needs to be properly trained as mentors to further support the target groups in their direct work with adult learners. Then the specialists in the Higher Education sector can benefit from connecting the field of robotics with the field of education and extend their academic know-how in this area.