Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Robots Conquering the Frontiers of autism and Technology


The number of children impacted by autism continues to grow. This means a life time of challenges as these children strive to become independent and self-supporting adults. Early intervention can have a significant positive impact on the shape and richness of their future. Having resources that helps parents and teachers as well, cope with the very real challenges and burdens that they jointly face can also be a contributor to a family, home and learning environment that is more calm, nurturing and progressive.

At ChartaCloud | ROBOTTECA we are committed to our passion of breaking through to the new and ever-expanding potential that the new frontiers of technology offer in autism breakthroughs - in research, clinical studies and in robot-mediated behavior intervention therapies.

To advance this initiative we organized and hosted the first Interdisciplinary Workshop for Robot-mediated Behavior Intervention and brought together leading researchers and clinicians to share their ‘state-of-the-art’ findings and progress in applied robot based technology for autism therapies.
You can see recordings of this workshop at www.rmbiworkshop.com.

BOTTOM LINE WORKSHOP FINDING: The use of a robot creates communication breakthroughs and lasting positive impact upon and for children with autism.

There are two proven, leading options for robot mediated behavior interventions:
·        The NAO robot from SoftBank Robotics
·        The Milo robot from RoboKind

Using the NAO Robot offers multiple pathway resources in support of this discipline. With the NAO robot you can:
1.      Create your own custom robot behaviors for child unique intervention sessions.
2.      Utilize the leading resource library of pre-programmed intervention robot behaviors.
The NAO Robot is a proven performer in autism. NAO is engaging and tireless in its interactions, and creates an immediate sense of enthusiasm, connectivity, responsiveness and joy.

The Milo Robot is a robot specifically designed for autism engagement therapies. Milo with its unique ‘facial expression’ technology allows Milo to model facial emotions. Milo can speak, smile, laugh and walk. Milo creates immediate engagement allowing the effective delivery of a comprehensive, evidence-based social curriculum. In fact, students with ASD engage with Milo at rates as high as 90% compared with only 3% engagement with humans.

Working continuously with the world’s autism technology leaders in robotics we provide a comprehensive and ever-evolving ‘ecology of behaviors’ that you can draw upon. With these behaviors use of these robots by non-technical users is easily accomplished which means that the robot can also be used in conventional classroom settings and do double duty as the platform for STEM educational curricula.

Mike Radice is Chairman of the Technology Advisory Board for ChartaCloud | ROBOTTECA