EdUHK Showcases Two Major AI Education Tools
"Technology + Humanities" Supporting Language Learning and Emotional Health
As a leader in teacher education, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has been actively advancing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technology into pedagogy to enhance teaching and learning effectiveness. At a press conference today, EdUHK unveiled two major innovations in educational technology: Joey, a language-learning social robot, and EmoCare, an emotional health support application. Both tools are designed to assist teachers and social workers in motivating students, improving their concentration, and enhancing their emotional well-being using AI.
The products have already been piloted in dozens of schools, receiving positive responses from teachers and students alike. Building on this success, both research teams have founded companies and are actively engaging industry partners to commercialise the technologies. By weaving together human-computer interaction and artistic elements, these innovations exemplify how technology can serve as both a companion and a support on the learning journey.
Social Robot Joey: Supporting Over 2,000 Teachers and Students in Three Years
Developed by a research team led by Professor Susanna Yeung Siu-sze, Associate Vice President (Quality Assurance) and Professor of the Department of Psychology at EdUHK, Joey is tailored for K2 to P3 students. With its engaging appearance, expressive facial features, and hand gestures, Joey captures children’s attention and facilitates activities such as listening, co-telling, and retelling stories. These interactions help strengthen their English comprehension and expression while fostering social and emotional development.
Research shows that children using Joey maintained higher engagement during 20-minute storytelling sessions compared with tablets and more mechanical-looking robots. Attention levels rose by 5.43% in later stages - comparable to human storytelling - while English comprehension scores improved by 21.2%. Among the 18 participating schools, 83% of teachers reported that Joey effectively boosted students' interest and motivation in learning English.
Equipped with a content management system, Joey allows teachers to upload teaching materials and use AI to generate images, sounds, and comprehension exercises for interactive learning. The system also provides performance data to support personalised teaching.
Professor Yeung said, “Governments worldwide are vigorously promoting digital education to help schools harness AI for improved learning outcomes. For instance, the Education Bureau has earmarked HK$500 million for the three‑year AI for Empowering Learning and Teaching Funding Programme. These initiatives underscore AI as a key direction for the future of education. We aim to maximise the educational value of social robots and will continue to invest in research and development to meet evolving needs. In fact, supporting the academic community and promoting the effective use of AI in teaching is a core strategic priority of EdUHK."
Principal Ms Wong Yuen-yee and two teachers of The Women's Welfare Club (Eastern District) Nursery Hong Kong, which has adopted Joey, observed that Joey not only engages children and stimulates their interest in English, but also offers teachers valuable insights through its learning data analysis reports.
Funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission’s Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living, the project is now in its third year. It has benefitted over 30 local primary schools and kindergartens, reaching over 2,000 teachers and students. Joey has earned international recognition, including the Gold Medal and Jury’s Choice Award at the 2024 International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN), and the Gold Medal and Special Award at the 2024 Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF).
The research team will continue collaborating with various schools to enhance the robots' functionality, including expanding their applications in other areas of language learning. The team has also established a start-up, EduFuture Robotics, to advance the commercialisation of their research outcomes.
EmoCare: AI-powered Application with Positive Psychology for Emotional Well-being
Another EdUHK innovation, EmoCare, an AI-powered application (app) integrated with positive psychology, was developed by a team led by Professor Song Yanjie, Associate Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and Professor of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology. Combining AI and the PERMA positive psychology model, EmoCare supports students through diary reflection, image generation, AI-assisted conversations, and emotion tracking. The app helps users regulate emotions, engage in self-reflection, and cultivate positive psychological states.
AI chatbots were once considered a low-cost, convenient option for public mental health support. Yet studies have shown that they can introduce bias, errors, or even harmful consequences. EmoCare addresses these risks through its embedded PERMA model. For example, when users record negative experiences, the app incorporates positive elements into generated images and conversations to aid emotional regulation and prevent excessive immersion in negative states.
Data from about 700 primary, secondary, and university students, including 68 students with special educational needs (SEN) revealed that users’ average happiness index increased by 1.881 points after using EmoCare, 14.6% higher than the app without the PERMA model. Among SEN students, nearly 94% showed improved emotional states after one month of continuous use.
PERMA encompasses five dimensions: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Analysis revealed that SEN students particularly valued recognition in the dimension of “Accomplishment.” Professor Song explained, “Based on these findings, we plan to strengthen support for SEN students in their pursuit of accomplishment, and design interaction models that better align with their learning and emotional development”. She added that the team intends to develop a data visualisation platform to help education and psychological counselling professionals track emotional trends. The application will be promoted to schools and institutions under a B2B model for students’ use.
Mr William Chow, Psychological Counsellor at Hong Kong Psychological Counselling Center, commented, “EmoCare has been developed in line with the interests and needs of youth in their mental growth. Users can express the joys and sorrows of daily life through writing, while the platform, grounded in the PERMA model, responds with AI‑generated images. This form of interaction carries elements of psychological counselling, and with timely intervention from counsellors, the effectiveness of guidance can be significantly enhanced.”
Mr Kam Wai Ming, Principal of HKSKH Bishop Hall Secondary School, who adopted EmoCare for about 120 students, added, “While AI certainly enhances students' learning ability, the distinctive value of EmoCare lies in its simultaneous focus on students’ emotions and growth, making education warmer and more human-centred”.
Professor Sin Kuen Fung, Executive Director of the Institute of Special Needs and Inclusive Education at EdUHK, further noted, “Physical and mental well-being begins with awareness. EmoCare helps young people with special educational needs learn to observe, reflect, and respond with care. With appropriate support and guidance in self-regulation, they can develop resilience and enjoy broader inclusion in social circles”.
EmoCare has already been showcased at the Belt and Road International Conference on Special Education 2025 and at InnoCarnival 2025. With features such as portable printers that instantly produce diary content and accompanying images, the app has been well received by students, parents, and educators alike. At the same time, MetaAI, a start-up founded by Professor Song, is actively seeking industry partners to explore commercialisation applications, aiming to bring its innovations to a broader community of students in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond.
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EdUHK Showcases Two Major AI Education Tools
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