In a university lab in Washington, Darwin-OP2, a robot that looks like a man furiously kicks a green ball across the floor. “I want to be friends and play football,” he says in a cold, monotonous voice.
Darwin-OP2 is not a toy. It is one of the most advanced examples of research and development in what has been designated as ancillary robotics and humanoid interaction. Darwin-OP2 was programmed by a team of professors of biomedical engineering at one of the leading universities in the United States. The project aims to help children with autism spectrum disorder interact more with society. The main goal will be to use a robotic system that helps children with autism communicate with other people much easier and more convenient.
The project, however, is at an early stage, and much remains to be done. It focuses on how a robot can help children between the ages of 5 and 10, but it may soon include children from the age of three. The ultimate goal is to make technology available to countless families in the United States with children with an autism spectrum disorder.
Autism, in most cases, options from child to child. But among all the children there are some common exercises. For example, most autistic children avoid eye contact. This makes it difficult for these children to interact with their family members, friends, friends, and others.
Scientists associated with the project stated that their research showed that children suffering from autism spectrum disorder are more comfortable to interact with robots, as they are able to control and control their actions, which makes them more predictable and comparable to human gamemates.
Children with an autism spectrum disorder usually have difficulty understanding and engaging the emotions of another person. But with the help of a social auxiliary robot, the child could be more effectively involved without being overloaded. These robots use artificial intelligence, which analyzes the behavior of the child, and then uses the collected data to interact with them.
Currently, three different types of robots are used for testing. One of them is a mini-robot connected to an iPad. It displays the emotions on the face. The second is an average robot that can perform various gestures and dance movements in response to social signals.
And then, of course, there is Darwin-OP2, a larger and more complex robot that interacts with children, playing football and speaking with other activities. He can dance to music, and children with autism can follow the course and dance.
Scientists and therapists say participating in social skills for children with autism requires frequent repetition of actions, which is an ideal task for humanoids and robots. In addition, robots can help parents of autistic children with the help of applied behavior analysis therapy. Such therapy requires long hours to be sent with the child, which may not be possible for parents who both work. In addition, robots have artificial intelligence that can collect data to provide useful analysis to parents, helping them understand their child’s behavior.
But these are the first days of testing how robots and artificial intelligence can come to the aid of autistic children.
