Luthffi Idzhar Ismail

Initial response of autistic children in human-robot interaction therapy with humanoid robot NAO

The overall context proposed in this paper is part of our long-standing goal to contribute to a group of community that suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); a lifelong developmental disability. The objective of this paper is to present the development of our pilot experiment protocol where children with ASD will be exposed to the humanoid robot NAO. This fully programmable humanoid offers an ideal research platform for human-robot interaction (HRI). This study serves as the platform for fundamental investigation to observe the initial response and behavior of the children in the said environment. The system utilizes external cameras, besides the robots own visual system. Anticipated results are the real initial response and reaction of ASD children during the HRI with the humanoid robot. This shall leads to adaptation of new procedures in ASD therapy based on HRI, especially for a non-technical-expert person to be involved in the robotics intervention during the therapy session.

Humanoid robot NAO: Review of control and motion exploration

Humanoids; a most intriguing subject to behold by both the engineers and the world at large. With the introduction of humanoid robot NAO by Aldebaran-Robotics in 2008, a performant biped robot is now available and affordable for research laboratories and the mass market. In this paper, an exploration of current trends in control methods of biped walks, behavior interface tools for motion control for NAO and imminent findings in both research areas are discussed. Future directions are for researchers to devise a unique controller with low power consumption without compromising the robots speed and robustness.

Face detection technique of Humanoid Robot NAO for application in robotic assistive therapy

This paper proposed a face detection method for tracking the faces of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a robotic assistive therapy. The face detection is a novel approach in robotic assistive therapy involving autistic children since it is believe that those children will positively react with high-end devices, gadget and cutting edge devices. The intention of tracking the autistic childrens faces is to measure the concentration level of the children in social interaction and communication since everyone knows that those children are suffering from communication disabilities and deficits due to brain developmental disorder. Humanoid Robot Nao with 573.2mm height equipped with 2 internal cameras is utilized for this research. The face detection tools in choregraphe and telepathe based on Graphical User Interface (GUI) module is used in this study. The non-verbal interaction between humanoid robot and autistic children is recorded by using 2 internal cameras from the robots head. The interaction is going to take about 30 minutes and supervised by occupational therapist and certified psychologist. The autistic children will be introduced to the Humanoid Robot Nao and their reaction will be recorded simultaneously while the robot is trying to track their faces.

Stereotyped behavior of autistic children with lower IQ level in HRI with a humanoid robot

Robots present immense potential as adjunct therapeutic tool, particularly for children with autism. Autism is a developmental disability normally detected within the first 3 years of life, characterized by the differing degrees of impairments in stereotyped behavior, social interaction and communication. This paper highlights our findings in a pilot study where children with autism were exposed to a humanoid robot. The simple modules of interaction were designed based on the human-robot interaction (HRI) approach. Six children who participated were identified with lower IQ classification. Child-robot interaction session and the childrens interaction behavior in class (without robot) were recorded. A behavior score sheet referenced to GARS-2 was used to evaluate the videos in both set-ups. Initial responses of the children were analyzed specifically in the deficit area of stereotyped behavior. Overall results show that 5 out of the 6 children responded well in child-robot interaction. Comparison with in-class interaction portrays reduced percentage in stereotyped behavior during the child-robot interaction. However, strong proof to link the childrens responses with their IQ levels need to be supported with larger samples of children in the future.

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) for Children with Autism to Augment Communication Skills

This paper presents a case study of robot-based intervention program for children with autism. The study focuses on two-way communication between children with autism and a humanoid robot NAO. The aim of this study is to develop a set of teaching and learning modules on communication through question type conversation and song-based approach. Module developed in this study is programmed using NAOs choregraphe, being imbedded later on and perform action. Both children participating in this study can communicate verbally and have been diagnosed with mild autism. Response from this exposure shows that the human toddler-like robot can be used as a platform to augment and facilitate communication effectively with children with autism.

Robot-Assisted to Elicit Behaviors for Autism Screening

Early screening and diagnosis of Autism spectrums is essential to determine the best means of early intervention program. Since there is no sign in biological for autism, screening and assessment must focus on the behavioral deficits. Somehow screening is not a diagnosis, but a filter that picks out children for subsequent assessment. The aim of this paper is to propose and to ignite discussion concerning robotic assisted in autism screening process to enable early diagnosis and intervention. This process combines (a) selection of an autism screening tool (b) refinement of screening subscales and (c) integration of subscales with robot action. We use Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (GARS-2) inversely integrated with humanoid robot Nao to produce a counter action to elicit individual behaviours for screening and diagnosis purposes. In extracting of GARS-2, we had considered the limitation and sensitivity when a robot tries to assist in the process of screening and diagnosis. Integrating robotics into innovative treatments however highlighted the need for additional rigorous empirical studies with quantitative measurement.

IQ level assessment methodology in robotic intervention with children with autism

This paper presents the assessment methodology to investigate relationship between Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of children with autism and their respective initial response during robotic intervention, compared to normal classroom interaction. Autism is a brain developmental disorder that leads to the irregular behavior in three common aspects; repetitive stereotyped behavior, communication difficulties, and social interaction. This research introduced robot in humanoid form as assistive tool in child-robot intervention program to investigate the relationship between IQ levels with response of the children in the robot interaction sessions. The Robot-Based Intervention Program (RBIP) is introduced to facilitate the experimental process. The autistic children interact with the robot and completing the interaction modules that has been designed and developed for them which is aimed to reduce the present of autism characteristic and behavior.