What is Autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder seen in approximately 1 in 68 children. It is characterized by repetitive behaviors or preoccupation and social impairment, often a difficulty communicating or expressing emotions. Some children with autism may be completely nonverbal and thus difficult to treat. As there is no cure for autism, it is typically treated with a behavioral intervention through a therapist. These interventions aim to reinforce positive behaviors as well as teach social skills and language skills (NIH).
A major challenge in providing assistance for autistic individuals is their lack of social skills. Social skills training can be difficult as the teacher must be able to get through to the autistic child. This is where robots come in. Because children with autism may have a difficult time empathizing and engaging with their therapist, robot therapies have been developed to better engage the autistic child. An article on robot-assisted therapy for autistic children found that these children respond particularly well to humanoid robots, and those with lifelike faces. There did not appear to be an uncanny valley effect for the autistic children; instead their acceptance only increased as the robots became more humanoid. The author suggests utilizing robots, particularly those with human-like faces, to assist in a behavioral intervention for an autistic child (Ueyama, 2012). Considering their difficulty in interacting with other people, utilizing these types of robots in a therapeutic setting could be a powerful tool for teaching social and language skills to autistic people.
A major challenge in providing assistance for autistic individuals is their lack of social skills. Social skills training can be difficult as the teacher must be able to get through to the autistic child. This is where robots come in. Because children with autism may have a difficult time empathizing and engaging with their therapist, robot therapies have been developed to better engage the autistic child. An article on robot-assisted therapy for autistic children found that these children respond particularly well to humanoid robots, and those with lifelike faces. There did not appear to be an uncanny valley effect for the autistic children; instead their acceptance only increased as the robots became more humanoid. The author suggests utilizing robots, particularly those with human-like faces, to assist in a behavioral intervention for an autistic child (Ueyama, 2012). Considering their difficulty in interacting with other people, utilizing these types of robots in a therapeutic setting could be a powerful tool for teaching social and language skills to autistic people.
Zeno
Zeno (Milo) is a robot from the startup company Robokind that is a humanoid robot featuring advanced AI. It was primarily developed with the goal of helping therapists treat and even diagnose autistic children. Zeno's simplified yet humanoid facial features and clear facial expressions make him the ideal teacher for autistic children who may struggle to interpret emotions and communicate (The Guardian). Previous research has shown that autistic individuals relate well to humanoid robots, perhaps even better than an actual human, meaning that these types of therapeutic robots have huge potential to impact the lives of people with autism. Here is a video that shows some of his capabilities and design specifications in more depth. At least for the robots designed for elders, there has been concern that they are more designed for the caregivers than the patients themselves. Zeno shows the power of creating robots with the patient in mind, as while the therapist may find his appearance unsettling, the patient finds him engaging.
NAO
NAO is a commercially available "household" robot that is being used in a research program aimed at teaching autistic children social skills through imitation. Children watch the robot and are rewarded for interacting with it and playing games similar to Simon Says. The robot then provides feedback on their performance through a simple red or green light. Children who interacted with NAO and were given graded performance when they failed to copy the pose correctly showed maintained or even improved performance. Children who didn't receive feedback showed maintained or degraded performance. The researchers hope that training with NAO can generalize to day-to-day life, enabling autistic children to join in and play with children at school using the skills they learned from NAO (Science Daily).
Romibo
Romibo is a cute, fuzzy robot that can be used along with a therapist to enhance treatment for autistic children. This robot can be controlled by a therapist using an iPad or other smart device, allowing the therapist to communicate through the robot. This can be used to facilitate communication and teach conversational and social skills to autistic children. While this robot is decidedly not humanoid, it still serves as an effective communication tool for children, both with and without autism. Future research should compare the benefits of non-humanoid robots such as Romibo and humanoid robots such as Zeno and NAO to see whether existing in the uncanny valley truly makes humanoid robots more effective.