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Dyssemic (socially challenged) is a term that refers to kids that have trouble communicating

their ideas with other people and expressing themselves in general. Autism [1] is a subset of

dyssemia and is considered a spectrum disorder meaning that each child has different

characteristics in the way autism effects them. More therapy at a younger age has been proven to

reduce the effects of this disability. However the cost and availability of good therapists are

always challenging. The use of robotics is an ideal method to combat this challenge. The field of

robotics is constantly growing and new applications for robots are appearing daily, ranging from

industrial to medical applications. Robotics is also currently becoming increasingly relevant in the

lives of children and therapy.

Research is being done at major universities on using robots for treating Autism [2]. These

robots are not readily available to the public and may need significant robotics knowledge to

program and use [3] [4] [5]. This means that in order for children to use these special robots they

need special assistance at all times, which we are trying to eliminate in our project. Another

major setback with other robots that we have observed is the cost that involves making and using

one of these robots. The robots that are being tailored for these specific reasons cost from

$3,000 to $30,000 which may not be easily affordable by the average family [6] [7]. This was one

of the more pressing issues that we saw with other robots in this field, and we really hoped to

mitigate this issue in our platforms. This showed us that robots in the real world currently were

not able to have a combination of cost-effectiveness, ease of usage and capabilities. These were

the three components that we focused on deeply in all of our platforms and as the project

progressed we saw that some of the platforms had limitations while the TheraPlay design was a

culmination of all the aspects we wished to incorporate.

Our engineering project will focus on creating an engaging platform that will assist dyssemic

children. This will be done through designing and developing different economically feasible

robots and comparing their features to see which aspects work and which areas have major

limitations. For this project we focused on using LEGO Mindstorms NXT, LEGO Mindstorms EV3,

and Parallax Propeller Board of Education as well as a vast kit of parts.

Introduction

Creating an Engaging Robotic Platform for Dyssemic and Autistic (ASD) Children

By: Akshay Rathish and Bala Chandrasekaran

1. Kids are energetic when they enter the classroom but once they sit down, they relax

2. Kids seem to be more attentive when shapes and colors are involved than just plain words

3. Repetition and pointing help get attention and reinforce learning

4. Kids respond well to a reward system; they like “high fives” too

5. Each kid is unique; some can articulate while others cannot; some create noise and other

don’t like noises

6. Most kids like soothing music and respond well to known voices

7. Kids feed a dog in the classroom

8. Kids are learning a lot about what happens in everyday life

Input/Output Device Integration Results and Analysis

References

[1] Scassellati, Brian , Henny Admoni, and Maja Mataric. "Robots for Use in Autism

Research." yale.edu. Yale University, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

<http://scazlab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/annurev-bioeng-071811-150036.pdf>.

[2] Joshua, Diehl J., Schmitt M. Lauren, and Crowell R. Charles. "The Clinical Use of Robots for

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. NIH Public Access, n.d. Web. 14

Dec. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3223958/>.

[3] Dorrier, Jason. "RoboKind’s Expressive ZENO R25 Robot." Singularity Hub, 4 Nov. 2013. Web.

15 Dec. 2013.

[4] "Buy NAO Robot, Buy DARwIn Robot." Buy NAO Robot, Buy DARwIn Robot, Buy Q.bo Robot,

STEM Robot, Educational Robots. RobotsLAB, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

[5] "Research Areas." nsf.gov. National Science Foundation, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

<http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports

[6] Weiss, Deb. "The Cost of Therapy." The Cost of Things. The Billfold, 28 May 2013. Web. 16

Dec. 2013. <http%3A%2F%2Fthebillfold.com%2F2013%2F05%2Fand-how-does-that-make-you-feel-

the-cost-of-therapy%2F>.

[7] "Speech & Language Therapy for Infants, Toddlers & Young Children." - National Down

Syndrome Society. National Down Syndrome Society, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

<https://www.ndss.org/Resources/Therapies-Development/Speech-Language-Therapy/Speech-

Language-Therapy-for-Infants-Toddlers-Young-Children/>.

Conclusion

We conclude that a low-cost robotic platform is feasible and we showcase this with a prototype.

Each of the Platforms can be used incrementally by parents to help their dyssemic children.

TheraPlay (Parallax Basic) is more customizable and provides better Cost per Feature or Game

and LEGO Mindstorms provided better configurability but is not accurate in monitoring children.

In addition, adding the toy exterior was extremely successful in providing a more friendly

appearance instead of the normal, robotic feel. Attaching the LCD display was beneficial in

creating a colorful visual and to help track the progress of the children and give encouraging

feedback.

To create an economically feasible robotic platform to engage dyssemic children

To empower parents and enrich their dyssemic children using robot-assisted play therapy sessions

To compare retail low-cost robotics systems for play therapy

To include customizable features on the robot that the child can relate to

Engineering Goals

Robot Design Process

Observations of Dyssemic Children

Sample Game Infrastructure

“Can you give me the Red apple?”

Check Sensors?

Color Matching (Fruits Matching)

Initialization

Match

Reward & Congratulate

Go to Next Fruit

Gently Encourage

No Response

Wait for some time

No Match

Gently Encourage

Acknowledgments We thank Andy Lindsay of Parallax Inc. for helping us interface several sensors.

We thank Mrs. Pedersen and Mrs. Wilbur for their patience and guidance

We thank our parents for their support

Application NXT EV3 TheraPlay 1.0 TheraPlay 2.0 Ultimate

Student Monitoring 0 1 3 4 4

Card Matching 0 0 4 4 4

Counted Clapping 1 1 3 3 3

Color Matching 3 3 4 4 4

Follow Movement 0 0 3 3 3

Application TOTAL 2 3 5 5 5

COST ($) NXT EV3 TheraPlay 1.0 TheraPlay 2.0 Ultimate

Processor Board

373 350

130 130 130

Software 0 0 0

Build Material 30 50 80

Included I/O 0 0 0

Additional I/O 35 0 207 316 376

TOTAL ($) 408 350 367 496 586

ROBOT FEATURES NXT EV3 TheraPlay 1.0 TheraPlay 2.0 Ultimate

Motion recognition 1 1 3 4 4

Hand movements 1 1 1 1 1

Neck movements 1 1 1 1 1

Mouth movements 0 1 1 1 1

Mobility 0 0 1 1 1

Display (Touch) 0 0 0 1 1

Voice Recognition 0 0 0 0 1

Facial expression 0 0 0 0 0.5

Configurability 1 1 0 1 1

Feature TOTAL 4 5 7 10 11.5

NXT EV3 TheraPlay 1.0 TheraPlay 2.0 Ultimate

Cost per Feature 102 70 52.43 49.60 50.96

Cost per Application 204 116.67 73.4 99.20 117.20

Customizability

-100%

0%

100%

Accelerometer Values in both Sitting and Standing Positions for

Up and Down Movements

ax low ax high ay low ay high az low az high

0200400600800

1000

Red Apple Orange Green Pear YellowBanana

T B S1 S2Min/MaxT B S1 S2Min/MaxT B S1 S2Min/MaxT B S1Min/Max

ColorPal Sensor Values for Various Fruits

R-Low R-High G-Low G-High B-Low B-High

3D Printing Toy Adaptation

Sensor Variation

TheraPlay 1.0

Table 3: Robot Features

Tale 5: Cost per Feature and Cost per Game for the platforms

Table 2: Comparison of various games on each of the platforms

Table 4: Cost of three robot designs

3D printing technology provides a unique

feature for our robot. The outside features of

the robot can be custom designed for the

specific child. This gives a personal connection

between the child and the robot which is very

crucial for them when dealing with emotions

and sentiments. For example the outside could

resemble a friend, parent, or favorite

superhero.

TheraPlay 2.0

The proximity (PIR)

sensor is not used

for any specific

game. Instead this

sensor is used as a

safety device. It

scans the area to

sense if the child is

still present.

The RFID sensor is

used in the matching

game. This game

allows kids to scan

the correct card

onto the RFID to

teach valuable

listening skills.

The ColorPal sensor

is used in the color

matching game. This

game tests the kid’s

ability to identify

the correct fruit and

place it in the

basket in front of

the robot. Helps

with social skills.

The PING sensor is

used in conjunction

with the PIR. This

sensor scans the

area moving from

left to right and

once it senses a

target it focuses and

stops searching.

The Veho speaker is used

to play encouraging

music after the kid does

something. Music is

played whether the kid

did something right or

wrong.

The LCD screen

incorporates a reward

system that tracks the

progress of the child.

It also gives the child

a visual on what each

game is asking for.

The nunchuk is used

for the built in

accelerometer. This

device is used for the

Simon Says game,

which tests the

physical ability of the

child

The Sound Impact

sensor is primarily

used in the listening

game, which tests the

ability of the child to

listen and follow a set

of instructions

LEGO Mindstorms NXT

LEGO Mindstorms EV3

FEATURES NXT Comments

Processor Arm7

# Cores 1

# Sensors 4

# Motors 3

Software Pay

Storage No

Expansion No

LEGO Mindstorms

gives an excellent

platform to

customize any design

the parents want.

However, the having

of only one core

makes it difficult to

monitor two sensors

at the same time.

FEATURES EV3 Comments

Processor Arm9

# Cores 1

# Sensors 4

# Motors 4

Software Free

Storage Yes

Expansion No

EV3 is the newest

version of LEGO

Mindstorms. It retains

all the advantages

and disadvantages of

the NXT platform. In

addition features

include; Wi-Fi

capabilities, the

option to incorporate

a micro SD card for

increased storage.

FEATURES Parallax Comments

Processor Propeller

# Cores 8

# Sensors 10+

# Motors 6

Software Free

Storage Yes

Expansion Yes

The Parallax

microcontroller

features 8 cores

which allows multiple

sensors to be

managed

simultaneously. In

addition, the robot

structure is

developed aside from

Parallax.

FEATURES Parallax Comments

Processor Propeller

# Cores 8

# Sensors 10+

# Motors 6

Software Free

Storage Yes

Expansion Yes

TheraPlay 2.0

improves on the

customizability of the

robot. In this

particular robot an

Iron Man exterior was

used as an example

to showcase the

different options that

are available.

While programming, it was made apparent that

each fruit had a range of color values because

the sensor registered different colors depending

on the orientation of the fruit. To account for

the different values, readings were taken of

each fruit in different positions which include:

top, bottom, side 1 and side 2. These values

were then compiled into a range with the

lowest and highest color values being used.

It is essential for the robot to maintain a

friendly exterior so that the child is not afraid

to approach the robot. By fusing a stuffed toy

with a robotic infrastructure it allows the child

to view the robot as a friend without sacrificing

any valuable features. The stuffed toy used can

change depending on the preference of the

child and what is most comfortable for them.

The accelerometer was extremely user-

dependent, in the sense that the readings

varied depending on the height and position of

the user. Because of this problem, it was

essential to create a calibration program to sync

up the user’s environment with the range

incorporated in the accelerometer program.

These are sample calibration readings based on

our environment and height.

Based on the observations of the Dyssemic children and discussion with the teachers and therapists,

we compiled four different games and created a infrastructure for additional games. These games

include Color Matching, Simon Says, Card Matching, and Clapping game. These all improve one or

more social, physical, or listening skills.

TheraPlay