This little robot helps kids with autism

A little robot named QTrobot is designed to help kids suffering from autism, by serving as a link between therapists, autistic kids, and their parents. This happy robot having an LCD face and robotic arms is helping kids who are overwhelmed and uncomfortable by human contact. The project belongs to LuxAI and is an exemplary work of the University of Luxembourg. The design will be presented by the end of this month at the RO-MAN 2018 conference.

The robot is created to reduce anxiety in the autistic children. It facilitates a three-way interaction between therapists, the patient and itself. Compared to the apps or tablets, a robot is any day a better choice for children as it has a body, giving the real-feeling of interaction.  It draws attention, improves learning, and provides personalized interaction. Hence it is a better alternative than traditional educational apps.

Some of the salient features of the robot are a 3D camera, full processor, long battery life, easy to program feature etc. The best thing about QTrobot is that it doesn’t become the focal point of the therapy, rather just assists the human therapists in the task. “Immediately the child starts interacting with the educator or therapist to ask questions about the robot or give feedback about its behavior,” told co-founder Aida Nazarikhorram to IEEE.

With the increasing intervention of robotics in medical therapy, the chances are bright that disorders like autism will find its cure!