# Towards Contactless Learning Activities during Pandemics Using Autonomous Service Robots
## 4 Analysis and Discussion  
A year and a half after schools and universities moved to distance learning due to COVID-19, students returned for in-person classes in universities and schools with certain limitations and regulatory rules in effect. Locally, the regulated return to face-to-face instructions contributed to reducing new cases from over 4000 to below 100.  
We design our service robot to meet schools' needs for frequently administering proctored paper-based exams without a major investment in computers or requesting that students bring their laptops. To understand the constraints driving our design, we present the regulatory rules in place. Students and teachers are to observe strict social distancing of 2 m in all directions at all times. Moreover, there cannot be any collection of exam papers. Disinfection is to be carried out between exams. While some schools moved their examinations to their well-equipped computer labs, others do not have such capacity. The number of exams and students far exceeds the number of available computers. Typically, the teacher, while proctoring the exam, moves around the classroom to better spot cheating. However, it becomes harder to navigate the room when its capacity is stretched to the maximum to accommodate social distancing rules. Our robot use case becomes more apparent in light of these guidelines and limitations. Our robot autonomously navigates the room on behalf of the proctor, recording what it sees for post-exam inspection aided with AI flagging of suspicious cheating behaviors. Although cheating behavior can be subtle and complex, certain cheating behaviors are detectable. Many universities and schools have started to use AI-powered cheating detection software and services for online exams. Some schools use automated proctoring services, such as Respondus Monitor, which relies primarily on face detection to raise flags to be investigated by the teacher. Our robot is designed and trained to flag more suspicious behavior than ones based on face detection alone. Cheating detection using AI is possible and, while not standardized, has been shown to help [25, 26].  
In response to a shortage of computers for testing, some schools asked students to bring their laptops to take the tests. There is hardly enough access to power outlets to facilitate their use. Moreover, the increase in network traffic pressures in some school networks inevitably has students running into technical problems, leading to an increased rate of make-up exam requests citing technical difficulties. Using our robot proctors, students are not required to bring their laptops to campus to take exams. Our robot allows schools to fall back to the convenient use of paper while addressing measures put in place to keep students safe and curb the spread of COVID-19. We facilitate the fast scanning and submission of exam papers on the students' way out instead of the traditional paper collection. Students may need clarifications in the exam, and our policies dictate that teachers are to provide them. Our roving robot uses AI to respond and provide clarifications during the exam, reducing the need for the proctor to approach students and, in doing so, violate social distancing rules. While it is known that the virus can live on the surfaces of the robot for hours, students do not touch the robot, and fog-based disinfection after exams keep the robot surfaces virus-free.  
The real and established need to run low-cost yet large-scale and paper-based yet contactless testing drives the integration of the different components into the proposed end-to-end robot. While our work demonstrated the potential and benefit, it also highlights the problems and paves the way for the research community to explore the issues further.