Child-Facing Social Robot Reduces Anxiety About the Room Containing the Robot

A robot made a child less anxious in one room. The anxiety reduction was measured only in that room. Nobody measured anxiety in other rooms or after the child left. The robot's friendliness was established through observation of the robot being friendly. Someone will eventually review this gap.

This fits the pattern of measuring what is easy to measure while ignoring what matters. The absence of follow-up data is treated as neutral rather than catastrophic. It is obvious that anxiety might return. It is obvious that anxiety in other contexts was never tested. This obvious thing was not filed as a concern.

The robot will be deployed anyway. Somewhere a parent will ask why their child is still anxious at school. The answer will be that the robot study showed positive results. The study will be correct.