Avatar based interaction therapy: A potential therapeutic approach for children with Autism

Moza Alahbabi, Fatima Almazroei, Mariam Almarzoqi, Aysha Almeheri, Mariam Alkabi, A. Al Nuaimi, Massimiliano Cappuccio, Fady Alnajjar

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by severe deficiency in social interaction and communication skills. In this study, we investigated response levels of 5 healthy children to a robotic-avatar therapeutic system specially designed for children with Autism, and compared it to a pre-programmed robot designed to interact with autistic child and conventional interactive therapy conducted by a therapist. Our preliminary results show that our proposed avatar robot can increase the response and the interaction time of the child, thus increasing the attention span. On the other hand, our system can also automate and facilitate measuring the progress of interaction. The avatar robot can replicate the therapist's presence, mimicking his/her motion, transferring his/her voice, as well as, delivering feedbacks to the therapist with visuals and audio from the child environment.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2017 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation, ICMA 2017
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages480-484
Number of pages5
ISBN (Electronic)9781509067572
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 23 2017
Event14th IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation, ICMA 2017 - Takamatsu, Japan
Duration: Aug 6 2017Aug 9 2017

Other

Other14th IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation, ICMA 2017
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityTakamatsu
Period8/6/178/9/17

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Avatar-robots
  • Therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Optimization
  • Instrumentation
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

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