Robot helps Kids with Autism
I came across this inspiring article on using robots to help kids with autism.
Two researchers with the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP) at the University of Connecticut are exploring how to use robots to enhance the motor and social communication skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). By programming the robot to talk and act in specific ways, they hope to come up with a new(?) and powerful method for teaching autistic children through role play and mimicry.
It’s a fabulous concept! Robots, who have infinite patience, will allow children to practice repeatedly at their own pace until they acquire the skill or learn a concept. Considering the intensive effort and high cost of providing treatment and educating kids with autism, robots can fill a much needed support role.
For their research project, Anjana Bhat and her co-investigator Timothy Gifford bought a 2-foot tall Nao robot from Aldebaran Robotics in France. What can it do? According to the article:
Nao introduces himself, extends his hand for a shake, announces that children like to play with him, and takes a bow. Nao even performs elaborate Tai Chi routines with accompanying music. But, most importantly for the researchers, the robot can be programmed to incrementally increase the complexity of its routines over time, as the children progress through therapy.
But with the Nao’s sticker price of about €10,000 (or roughly USD $12,800), it will likely find limited usage. I hope they make their robot program open-source so it can be ported to cheaper hardware. Perhaps we can now put all those Robosapien V2s dusting in a corner into real use.