Socially Assistive Robots: Autism Case Study

In the 1990 's robots were designed and introduced to assist with child development it was called Roball. Roball was primarily

Not only that, these sociable robots inadvertently change the way we view reality around. In today society what was once taboo like talking to an inanimate object is now acceptable because of new technology. Even the

For most of the 20th century, scientists were not equipped with the technology while parents were not fully aware of the social, behavioral, and communicative challenges associated with children having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Abnormal symptoms, ranging from repetitive behaviors to developmental and social disabilities, were previously diagnosed as other neurological or psychological disorders such as schizophrenia (Meyer 2011). The spectrum is an umbrella term for 5 recognized subtypes (Marchant 2009). Despite the fact, awareness together with support has grown over the years, the rate of autism has grown

Autism has become a growing concern for parents, teachers, and doctors around the world. The need for new therapeutic techniques and strategies has prompted the world of science to help find answers and new ways to engage individuals with autism. Professionals such as speech therapists, behavioral therapists, and teachers have begun to explore the use of robots to help children with autism learn new social and communication skills. These specialized robots are programmed to aid in the development of pragmatics, one of the most common challenges for children with autism. Through the use of robots, therapists are seeing marked improvement in the language and social skills of their clients.

Autism is the most rapidly growing developmental disorder in the U.S. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both similar terms for a group of complicated disorders of brain development. Autism Spectrum Disorders are characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and communication skills with the presence of extremely odd behaviors. Autism is a spectrum condition meaning that while all individuals with autism share somewhat common challenges in their conditions they will all be affected differently. Social communication, interaction and imagination are three main areas of which all of those with autism share. Numerous individuals with ASDs have distinct ways of learning and behaving towards certain situations. Autism affects tens of millions globally and 3 million individuals in the United States alone.

There are many things that we take for granted such as being able to tell when someone is upset or excited, being able to express how we feel, or the social norms of how to act in public. Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) struggle with these things. Everyday, individuals who have been diagnosed with an ASD have to learn how to deal with their feelings and try to understand the feelings of others. Additionally, those with advanced cases of an ASD struggle to communicate at all. Humans are very social beings and without having these skills it is very difficult to grow up to be a productive person in our society. The key to helping these individuals is to recognize the core traits that are causing them to not fully be able

Opponents believe that behavioral programs produce robotic children, not children who think independently. (Lovaas, 1987; Maurice, 1993) It is interesting to distinguish that if a person who displays autistic symptoms is expose to ABA is not for trying to cure the disease, is only to try to produce a positive improvement in their lives.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the name for a group of developmental disorders. ASD includes a wide range, “a spectrum,” of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability. People with ASD often have these characteristics such as ongoing social problems that include difficulty communicating and interacting with others. Repetitive behaviors as well as limited interests or activities. Symptoms that typically are recognized in the first two years of life. Symptoms that hurt the individual’s ability to function socially, at school or work, or other areas of life. Some people are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Treatments and services can improve a person’s symptoms and ability to function. In the presence of

Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is characterized by various symptomology ranging from inappropriate social behavior due to inability to experience and express situation-appropriate affect and lack of interest in other persons in general to repetitive, stereotyped behavior like insistence on routine, situation-specific actions, or obsessive focus on object-placement or sensory aspects of objects. There have been several attempted strategies at correcting these characteristics of ASD over the years, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on thought process correction and behavior alteration,

Once this is determined and the robots get the drift of it, the scientist are saying that we will be able to have “nanny” robots. Who in their right mind would leave their child with a computer-controlled machine? I personally would never feel comfortable leaving my child with a robot. Yeah, the robot might be able to get the necessities like getting them food and drinks, but they won’t be able to give the child that “mother” feeling. Try and picture back to when you were a small child. Weren’t you always attached to your parents? Especially your mom? She just had that warm-motherly feeling that you happened to love. Imagine trying to get that same feeling from a robot. It just wouldn’t be the same. Like when you fell down and got hurt, what was the first thing you wanted? Most likely your mom, right? She just automatically made you feel better. There is no way for a child to get that same warm-motherly feeling from a cold, metal, machine. Not only am I worried about the child not feeling comfortable with the robot, but it could also be harmful for the child. What if the robot was changing a diaper or getting the child dressed and the robot has a glitch, it could easily shock and injure the child. There is just no reason for leaving a child under only the supervision of a computer-controlled machine. It just sounds extremely risky to me.

The significance of communicating cannot be understated; communication prevents misunderstandings, it provides stress relief, builds relationships, and enhances self-confidence. Children with autism are affected with limited abilities to communicate; therefore it is imperative to utilized tools and approaches to build and enhance this fundamental need. The picture exchange system provides of viable option that enhances abilities that were once thought to be nonexistent. Originally

Perhaps we are approaching the time where such measures need to be addressed. The 21st century has seen the intersection of medicine and technology. With the emergence and development of bioengineering, or the application of engineering to the natural world, society has seen rapid and accelerated change to how we interact with each other. For example, a recent experiment with preschool children and a robotic dog was conducted in 2006 to explore the relationship between humans and robotics. AIBO, Artificial Intelligence Bot, was introduced to a group of preschool children. The children were given 45 minutes of interaction with AIBO and a stuffed dog which acted as a control. The results indicated that while both the stuffed animal and AIBO received the same amount of engagement, AIBO received more verbal instructions and was mistreated less than the stuffed dog. Ultimately, “the pre-school children were not pretending when they

The short story Robbie from Isaac Asimov follows the Weston family and how they react to Gloria Weston’s relationship with Robbie who is her robot nanny. Gloria Weston is eight years old and loves Robbie like a real human friend. Robbie is not an ordinary robot because he shows emotion and complexity in how he interacts with Gloria. He seems to enjoy playing with her and hearing her read Cinderella as his favorite story. However, Robbie shows typical 1990’s robot traits with a clunky parallelepiped head and no means of speaking.

These robots are known as the ICub, and excel at interacting with the human population safely. One of these robots, known as Molly, exists in Bristol, England (Honigsbaum). This small combination of metals, wires, and computer components actually helps the elderly with simple tasks that they would ordinarily need help with. In addition to helping the elderly, the ICub can also help clean the work space of individuals. Simon, an upper-body humanoid, assists in moving a variety of items and cleaning workspaces. This robot was developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and statistics state that, “Simon could tell with close to 80% accuracy whether someone was paying attention or ignoring him.” This proves that it is indeed possible to create helpful machines that can also interact with humans through the regulation and extra development of artificial intelligences. All of the activities that the ICub Robots partake in are completely beneficial to the global society and will have a large impact on the culture of the world as a whole. An added plus to the push for technological development is that countries can use these advancements as a way to better the future of their state. These nations can accomplish this through the integration of robotic aids into their school systems. An instance in which this concept is used occurs in the Connecticut school system. Through Project D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R middle school students

In aging society with fewer children, Japan should adopt nursing-care robots in order to make up for the caregiver shortages and avoid economic recession which causes from a drain of young people. If the nursing-care robots are introduced into our life in aging society, they can relieve the heavy burden from the young generation. Robots will also have a major influence on lifestyle. Hopefully, this research can be helpful for your better understanding about nursing-care robots and a chance to think about the attitude towards them. Robots will play an important role in our future.