Robots Help Kids with Autism

Feb-18-09 Children with autism can learn social skills that help them lead better, fuller lives with help from newly designed robots that can read and respond to their emotional states.

Like most children, those with autism are naturally attracted to robots. New developments that teach robots to read a child's emotional state have helped researches devise robots that respond automatically and appropriately to those states. Physiological cues, such as a child's heart rate, galvanic skin response, temperature and muscle response, can now inform these robots about an autistic child's level of anxiety. The result—the robot can respond in real time and alter its behavior appropriately.

---