HUMANOID ROBOTS TO SUPPORT AUTISTIC CHILDREN

The technical institute “Girolamo Caruso” started an experimental project that foresees didactic-scientific collaboration with the public body. They organized an educational laboratory for autistic children.
As the article “Partinico live” informs us, the regional department approved the experiment with a financing of €25.000 that will be used during the school year. School will become the perfect environment for kids on the spectrum to learn and increase the perception of oneself and of the surrounding environment.
The project started February 2022 and it’ll last nine months.
The students will realize some 3D models and they will insert them in the augmented reality book. They will also record virtual reality experiential videos and program the humanoid robot according to the specifications provided by the experts and will be able to monitor the learning of the children involved by generating reports and statistical analysis useful for worldwide research. The use of social robots can represent a useful and attractive stimulus in the relationship with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, who can find in it a “facilitator” subject for the relationship with the operators, towards which the communicative actions.
The innovativeness of the project lies in the particular context of use, that is, welcoming children to work on forming their autonomy. The scientific interest of the research also lies in the fact that the experimental context is not a laboratory or a rehabilitation center, but a domestic and welcoming context.