Design of a robotic toy and user interfaces for autism spectrum disorder risk assessment

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for a spectrum of complex developmental disorders resulting in deficits in social communication and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (APA, 2013). Research in the area revealed that young children with ASD are interested in technology. This preference for technology may lead to promising intervention models (Annaz et al., 2012; Klin et al., 2009; Fong et al., 2003). This paper includes research into how to design and use technology to create suitable products for deficits of ASD. With all the concern over the high prevalence ratios of ASD, this study presents the methodology and design of a risk assessment device, which aims to capture the interest of children with ASD aged 3-4, and direct children who score low on the tests towards a diagnosis. The tests in the device are designed to detect differences with ToM tests between ASD and typically developing (TD) children. In the scope of the paper, 2D illustrations, interface design, and outer shell design of the device are created in compliance with the research data in the field

Effects of robots' intonation and bodily appearance on robot-mediated communicative treatment outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder

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Effects of robots’ intonation and bodily appearance on robot-mediated communicative treatment outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder

Previous research has suggested that robot-mediated therapy is effective in the treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but not all robots seem equally appropriate for this purpose. We investigated in an exploratory study whether a robot’s intonation (monotonous vs. normal) and bodily appearance (mechanical vs. humanized) influence the treatment outcomes of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) sessions for children with ASD. The children (age range 4–8 years) played puzzle games with a robot which required communication with the robot. The treatment outcomes were measured in terms of both task performance and affective states. We have found that intonation and bodily appearance have an effect on children’s affective states but not on task performance. Specifically, humanized bodily appearance leads to more positive affective states in general and a higher degree of interest in the interaction than mechanical bodily appearance. Congruence between bodily appearance and intonation triggers a higher degree of happiness in children with ASD than incongruence between these two factors

Social robots: a promising tool to support people with autism. A systematic review of recent research and critical analysis from the clinical perspective

In the past decade, interdisciplinary research has revealed the potential benefits of using social robots in the care of individuals with autism. There is a growing interest in integrating social robots into clinical practice. However, while significant efforts have been made to develop and test the technical aspects, clinical validation and implementation lag behind. This article presents a systematic literature review from a clinical perspective, focusing on articles that demonstrate clinical relevance through experimental studies. These studies are analysed and critically discussed in terms of their integration into healthcare and care practices. The goal is to assist healthcare professionals in identifying opportunities and limitations in their practice and to promote further interdisciplinary cooperation

3D Silicone Whipping Additive Manufacturing (SWAM): Technology, Applications, and Research Needs.

Additive manufacturing has become increasingly popular and is developing in many technologies. This thesis focusses on the additive manufacturing with paste technology, more specifically the goal is to further develop a technology for SWAM (Silicone Whipping Additive Manufacturing). SWAM uses a device similar to a traditional filament 3D printer, but it deploys a paste supplied by a pump instead of feeding a thermoplastic filament through a heated nozzle. There are many parameters that are common to both technologies, but the role of several variables is still not described or discussed in the literature. This is relevant because there are limited technologies capable of exploring the advantage of additive manufacturing with soft or elastomeric materials. A successful SWAM technology be used for developing prototypes that require soft materials, like seat cushion for automotive applications and used in tissue for soft robotics. One of the key parameters controlling the properties of a part manufacture by SWAM is the whipping mechanism of the paste. In this thesis, experiments are presented based on the relationship of SWAM parameters and “Line Printing” characteristics. Line Printing is an experimental method developed here to obtain further insight on the mechanism of SWAM and to enable correlation between SWAM parameters and properties of printed parts. The whipping extrusion techniques has successfully elucidated the liquid rope coiling effect. The SWAM parameters were selected as: Print speed of the nozzle, Diameter of the nozzle, Flow rate of the silicone feed, and Deposition height of the falling silicone paste. Whereas the Line Printing characteristics such as Filament deposition height, Filament line width and Filament loops have been determined. Filament loops are further subdivided into Single loops and Multiple loops. As a result, Line Printing may be defined as the novel free forming techniques for reproducing a single segment of the desired feed onto the printed bed using various forms of fabricating methods. It may also be called filament printing, filament fabrication, or line prototyping. It would be an aim to study the behavior of the material deposition as well as its transformed deposition ranging from straight-line printing to multiple or mixed-looped line printing. Hence, novel empirical relationships can be generated based on two boundaries elementary parametric conditions that are print speed and the other is flow rate. A novel parameter named GL ratio was introduced here to describe the transformation of the filament through filament characteristics. It would thoroughly define the feed flow dropping criterion. It is the ratio of the change in the feed flow rate to the change in the print speed of the nozzle while the other parameters are held constant. Five transformations of the line filament have occurred which are named as straight line, zig- zag/wavy loop filament, single loops filament, mix loops filament and multiple loops filament. Out of the 5, there are two unstable states, and the rest are stable states. Instability of filament is relatively high at the transition state because of the changing patterns of the silicone rope coiling effect, where GL is equal to unity. Line printing can be formed into multiple layers thus producing the bulk form which would be a porous structure, thus giving rise to a 3D shape due to controlled deposition of the filament due to the X-Y-Z location of the nozzle. In automotive applications, this technique can be used to create prototypes for an in-seat car cushion as a substitute for polyurethane (PUR) seat cushions. Herein, silicone has been used because of its versatile applications. The in-seat silicone cushions have been produced to perform force-deflection test to identify the mechanical feature. Viscoelastic properties of silicone concluded that novel SWAM can print lower density in-seat cushion along with variable firmness. The printed cushion showed that they can withstand the applied force for a longer time-period without decreasing with time. This feature would reveal that silicone can be a good material for seat cushioning. Hard-skinned robots can be modified to humanoid robots which would be ideal in the education system, especially for the autistic children. Soft tissue mimicking materials have been obtained through the line printing technique of the novel SWAM. Parts can be printed to resemble the firmness of fat and muscle tissues due to the displayed similar properties to that of real tissues through mechanical experiments. This could be applied in robots assisting autistic children for example, so they would learn response to external stimuli through humanoid robots in a more natural interactive environmen

The Use of Socially Assistive Robots with Autistic Children

The use of socially assistive robots (SARs) appears to facilitate learning, social and communication, and collaborative play in autistic children, though rigorous research to drive translation into everyday practice is limited. This thesis, comprised of four studies, was aimed at providing a comprehesive overview of how SARs have been used with young autistic people, to identify the factors that might encourage their future use, and to consider the scope of SAR benefit for autistic youth via secondary data analysis from a specific SAR support programme. The first chapters provide an overview of autism, theories, and models, and the available psychosocial support for autistic children and their families as per current practice. Within this, the different SARs types used in autism research are described followed by an outiline of the rationale for each study design methodology to address the aims of this thesis. Chapter 4 presents an up-to-date evidence summary of the nature of SARs research in autism reporting that robot-mediated support has predominantly been administered in autism clinics/centers with benefits in the social and communication skills of autistic children. Chapter 5 explores parents’/carers’ knowledge and preferences about the use of smartphones, iPods, tablets, virtual reality, robots or other technologies to support the specific needs/interests of autistic children offering guidance on how to extend the benefits of the systematic review findings. The online survey reported that 59% of parents/carers mostly preferred a tablet, followed by virtual reality and then robots that were the least preferred technologies due to being immersive, unrealistic or an unknown technology. To delve deeper into parent views about SARs, chapter 6 provides data from 12 individual interviews and one focus group with parents of autistic children. Parents were receptive to the use of a robot-mediated support acknowledging that the predictability, consistency and scaffolding of robots might facilitate learning in autism. Independent living skills and social and communication skills were the two domains of focus in future robot-mediated support with autistic children. Such a finding indicates that there may be scope to extent robots in the autism community. The final data analysed in chapter 7 draws on ten video recordings of autistic children exploring the effect of triadic robot-mediated support with a human therapist alongside a humanoid robot, called Kaspar, compared to a dyadic interaction with a human therapist alone on the development of children’s joint attention skills. Retrospective data analysis here showed no statistically significant difference in the joint attention skills of autistic children in the human therapist compared to the robot-mediated group nor in their skills from the first to the last session in either group. A statistically significant difference was observed on the requests for social games which improved from the first to the last session in the human therapist group. This study highlights the challenges SARs research facing to evidence demonstrable impact on everyday life skills as a driver of parent and child buy-in to this type of support. Taken together, the studies in this thesis suggest that SARs have a role in autism support, mainly in social and communication domains. Parents/carers have valid reasons for preferring other types of technology support though when asked to think about SARs, they do acknowledge ways in which robots may be advantegous. Existing data and secondary analysis reported that rigour in reporting the way that SARs may benefit skills development is needed and that life skills impact may be difficult to assess over a short-term period. To take SARs research forward, it is imperative to deepen partenships with autism stakeholders to ensure fit for purpose skills selection, measurement of impact, and take up of support to expand benefit