This study examined the production of a robot that could play hide and seek, and explored how a young child might respond to the game at 3.5 and 5.5 years of age. Comparing the child’s performance at the two ages was of particular importance, as the thought processes at these two ages are quite different, and it is often scientifically valuable to look at the same person at two different time periods.

Although only one child participated, the technology seems promising. It would be interesting to run a study looking at children who clearly do not know how to play hide and seek, to see if the robot is a good way to teach the game. This could be done by looking at younger children, or children with developmental disabilities such as autism, whose perspective-taking and representational thinking is typically impaired. A group design with typically developing children, children with autism, and children with mental retardation would be ideal, as it would answer many questions about the game of hide and seek, but also might open the door to possible treatments for the children who do not pick up these kinds of skills automatically.

The description of the technology is excellent, and the authors have developed an innovative tool, with a great deal of promise in terms of research and treatment possibilities.