Tactile Interactions with a Humanoid Robot Novel

Authors: Ben Robins Kerstin Dautenhahn

Publish Date: 2014/04/04

Volume: 6, Issue: 3, Pages: 397-415

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Abstract

The work presented in this paper was part of our investigation in the ROBOSKIN project The project has developed new robot capabilities based on the tactile feedback provided by novel robotic skin with the aim to provide cognitive mechanisms to improve human–robot interaction capabilities This article presents two novel tactile play scenarios developed for robotassisted play for children with autism The play scenarios were developed against specific educational and therapeutic objectives that were discussed with teachers and therapists These objectives were classified with reference to the ICFCY the International Classification of Functioning—version for Children and Youth The article presents a detailed description of the play scenarios and case study examples of their implementation in HRI studies with children with autism and the humanoid robot KASPARPlay is an essential activity during childhood and its absence provides an obstacle to the development of a healthy child The World Health Organisation in its International classification of functioning and disabilities version for children and youth ICFCY publication considers play to be one of the most important aspects of a child’s life when assessing children’s quality of life 1A major rationale for the importance of play in early childhood special education settings is that play is thought to be correlated with development in other areas such as cognition social development and language development 2 During play children can learn about themselves and their environments as well as develop cognitive social and perceptual skills 3 Play activity is one of the striking examples of the creation and use of the auxiliary stimuli that plays a crucial part in the child’s development 4 According to Vygotsky the potential for cognitive development depends upon the level of development achieved when children engage in social interaction Bruner 5 has shown that the motivation for play and that play itself is socially constructed Meanings of things are learnt in a social way within a particular context 5 6 In Bruner’s view growth of the mind is assisted from outside the person by the culture he or she lives inAutism is a lifelong developmental disorder that can occur to different degrees and in a variety of forms 9 The main impairments that are characteristic of people with autism are impaired social interaction social communication and social imagination referred to by many authors as the triad of impairments eg 10 A child with autism will have difficulty in interpreting other people intentions facial expressions and emotional reactions might experience an inability to relate to other people show little use of eye contact and have difficulty in verbal and nonverbal communication 11 Some do not have any language skills at all and some have limited language Because of these impairments children with autism have great difficulty in forming and maintaining social relationships 12 It is difficult for them to engage in social play much less in collaborative play and they will typically play by themselves with their own toys 10 13In the play ground touch and physical contact are used by children to communicate to give or receive support and to develop their social relationships For some children with autism tactile interaction presents difficulties that impede their ability to appropriately interact with their social environment However as some children with autism do not have verbal skills or use their verbal skills inadequately tactile interaction if tolerated might be an important way of communication for these children It is suggested that problems with verbal skills and eye gaze in children with autism create the need for touch to replace these detrimental ways of communicating 14In therapy touch has a social element a sense of community that positively affirm the patients Touch of another person when it happened is seen also as a way of breaking through isolation It has a social element a sense of community that positively affirm the patients 15 16 It is very common in therapy in situations where direct interaction between people is too difficult or not possible at all as in the case of autism that props are being used which can become particularly significant as bridges for relating to others be it in the client–therapist relationship or in relationships amongst peers 17 18 In a similar way by the use of robots as possible therapeutic or educational toys we may provide this bridge whereby autistic children can feel safe to explore during the interaction with the robot behaviours that otherwise they would not be able to In recent years there have been many examples of robots being used in interaction with children with autism for therapeutic or educational purposes eg improving imitation skills 19 20 or eliciting a motivation to share mental states 21 to mention just a few 22 With the robot acting as a mediator the children can also be encouraged to explore their interaction with other people in a way that is nonthreatening to them 23 24 25 26 27 A ‘tactile’ robot can be used as a buffer that mediates indirect rather than direct human–human contact until such time that the person builds enough strength and confidence to tolerate direct human contact A robot with tactile applications could allow a person with autism to explore touch in a way that could be completely under their control In addition as the nature of touch is very individual to a person a robot used within such applications could take into account individual needs and differences and could adjust its behaviour accordinglyThe play scenarios presented in this article and the robotic system used the humanoid robot KASPAR which was equipped with tactile capabilities may provide the play experiences mentioned above 4 and can be viewed as the auxilary stimuli and the support to increment the child’s current level of development

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