Designing Modular Robotic Playware

In this paper, we explore the design of modular robotic objects that may enhance playful experiences. The approach builds upon the development of modular robotics to create a kind of playware, which is flexible in both set-up and activity building for the end-user to allow easy creation of games. Key features of this design approach are modularity, flexibility, and construction, immediate feedback to stimulate engagement, activity design by end-users, and creative exploration of play activities. These features permit the use of such modular playware by a vast array of users, including disabled children who often could be prevented from using and taking benefits from modern technologies. The objective is to get any children moving, exchanging, experimenting and having fun, regardless of their cognitive or physical ability levels. The paper describes two prototype systems developed as modular robotic tiles, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of this modular playware when used by children with different cognitive abilities

Uma abordagem floor interaction para o apoio à aprendizagem e ao comportamento das crianças autistas

Autism is known as a disorder of psychological development, as it is classified as F84.0 according to ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) (Fernandes, 2010). Studies indicate that autism presents three major groups of disorders: the social, communicative and behavioral. The social development of these children is usually disturbed, especially in interpersonal development, because children tend to isolation or to behave improperly. The level of communication, it is estimated that about 50% of these children do not develop the language throughout his life, and the other 50% may deviate language semantic and pragmatic. Moreover, persons with autism typically exhibit repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, but also complex body movements (Gadia, Tuchman, & Rotta, 2004) (FPA 2003). In this sense this thesis of Master in Computer Engineering was proposed by the Whale Museum and has as main objective to develop an application of one of the activities in the educational area of the museum, but with the particularity of being targeted for autistic children.O autismo é denominado de transtorno de desenvolvimento psicológico, visto ser classificado como F84.0, segundo a CID-10 (Classificação Internacional de Doenças)(Fernandes, 2010). Estudos indicam que o autismo apresenta três grandes grupos de perturbações, nomeadamente a nível do domínio social, comunicativo e comportamental. O desenvolvimento social destas crianças normalmente é perturbado, especialmente no desenvolvimento interpessoal, pois as crianças têm tendência ao isolamento ou a comportar-se de forma sociavelmente imprópria, ou seja, fora dos padrões habituais. A nível da comunicação, estima-se que cerca de 50% destas crianças não desenvolvam a linguagem durante toda a sua vida, sendo que dos outros 50% a linguagem poderá apresentar desvios semânticos e pragmáticos. Para além disso, as pessoas com autismo normalmente exibem padrões repetitivos e estereotipados de comportamento, como também, movimentos corporais complexos (Gadia, Tuchman, & Rotta, 2004)(FPA, 2003). Neste sentido o presente projeto de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática foi proposto pelo Museu da Baleia e tem como principal intuito desenvolver uma aplicação de uma das atividades realizadas na área pedagógica do respetivo museu, mas com a particularidade de ser direcionado para crianças autistas