Robota

Description
Robota is one of the earlier robots used in the AURORA project.  The AuRoRA Project studies if and how robots can become a "toy" that might serve an educational or therapeutic role for children with autism. The project is supported by the University of Hertfordshire.

In 2002, the humanoid robot Robota extended the research already completed by other simpler robots like Mel by opening up a larger range of possible interactions involving movements, sounds and imitation sequences. Robota is a doll-shaped robot 45 cm tall, weighing approximately 500 grams. The arms, legs and the head of the robot are plastic components of a commercially available doll.

Robota has the capability of being connected to various sensors such as infrared emitters/ receivers, light detectors and more. Through a serial link connection to a PC, the robot uses speech synthesising which is used to attract the child’s attention. Using a motion tracking system, Robota can copy upwards movements of the left and right arm of the user when the user faces the camera. This game can be used to teach Robota to dance to a specific music, played on the PC. The robot can also react to touch. It can detect when one of its limbs has been touched and can respond by jerking the touched limb.

The Science Bit
In the early investigation phases of Robota’s life cycle, Dautenhahn and Billard, (2002) highlighted that Robota could contribute to the development of robotic tools in autism therapy, by exploring the possibilities offered by different robotic designs (humanoid versus non-humanoid). In 2004 further trials were completed over a long period of time to allow the children time to explore the interaction space of robot-human, as well as human-human interaction. The results showed that in some cases the children started to use the robot as a mediator, an object of shared attention, for their interaction with their teachers. These results could suggest that although non-humanoid robots may allow for a more instantaneous connection, a humanoid robot like Robota could produce more significant results in improving and encouraging social interaction in children with autism.

Robota is not currently commercially available and we are currently unable to locate any planned release information.