Robotics and Autism
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Robotics may be the newest technology to help children with autism better understand social cues and emotional behavior. With one in 110 children diagnosed with autism, and therapists in short supply, Game Crazy's Robotics program aims to fill in the gap. Game Crazy aims to build robots sympathetic and sensitive enough to serve as both therapists and playmates to kids with autism. Our robots are programmed to perform simple movements and perform actions in response to the child’s behavior in order to draw in socially detached kids and get them to interact and play. |
How Can Robotics Help Autistic Childen
"In autism, there was already anecdotal evidence that children with autism often respond favorably to robots and show social behaviors they do not display with unfamiliar people," says Maja Mataric, co-director of the Robotics Research Lab at USC.
Our robotics program aims to create a balance between human and robot so that the robots are approachable and engaging without being too realistic or intimidating. Initial research shows that children with autism exhibited unexpected social behaviors, including pointing, initiating play, imitating the robot and even showing empathy. Eye tracking research has shown that children with autism prefer looking at objects rather than human faces. They have difficulty understanding facial expression and even sometimes recognizing a person's identity. There is increasing evidence that kids with autism respond more naturally to machines than they do to people.
Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, the director of the Autism Research Center at the University of Cambridge in England, along with other autism experts, believes that robots, computers and electronic gadgets may be appealing because they are predictable, unlike people. You can pretty much guess what a computer is going to do next about 90 percent of the time, but human interactions obey very few entirely predictable laws. And this, Baron-Cohen explains, is difficult for children with autism. “They find unlawful situations toxic,” he says. “They can’t cope. So they turn away from people and turn to the world of objects.”
Game Crazy has highly trained staff who will come right to your door and work with them to build robots that will come alive and serve as a playmate for your autistic child, allowing them to connect with our robots and develop motor skills.
Pricing
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