Robots

Using Robots as Assistive Technology for Autistic Children

Studies into the behaviour of children with autism suggest that they show a preference for interacting with objects rather than with other people. People's social behaviour can be very subtle and can seem to be widely unpredictable to an autistic child. Simple interactions with other people can present themselves as a very confusing and possibly stressful experiences to children with autism.

There have been numerous studies that have shown robots may be an ideal instrument to encourage interaction of children with a disorder in the autism spectrum. Dautenhahn (1999) indentifies that using a robot as a remedial toy takes up the challenge of bridging the gap between the variety and unpredictability of human social behaviour and the predictability of repetitive and monotonous behaviour which children with autism prefer and which can be performed by robots.

Different from human beings, interactions with robots can provide a simplified, safe, predictable and reliable environment for these children and, not only that they might demonstrate a preference for interacting with the robots, but also they might start to develop 'attachment' or 'bonding' with the robot and direct basic social behaviours towards it.

 Robot Categories

This wiki provides details on robots that have been used as assistive technology for autistic children. It divides the robots into the following two categories:

Research Robots

This category contains a list of robots that are currently, or have previously been used for research relating to autism. These robots are not commercially available at this time.

Commercial Robots

This category contains a list of robots that are available for purchase to the general public.