Children with autism can develop skills they normally find difficult by interacting with virtual worlds. By using multitouch, these children activate a virtual character on a screen and experiment with different social scenarios. This way, researchers can compare their responses to those displayed in real-life situations.
In addition, children with autism respond very positively towards robot-assisted play, for example KASPAR, a child-sized, minimally expressive robot. KASPAR has 8 degrees of freedom in the head and neck and 6 in the arms and hands. The face is a silicon-rubber mask, which is supported on an aluminium frame. It has eyes fitted with video cameras (2 degrees of freedom), and a mouth capable of opening and smiling. This robot has been extensively used in different research projects on cognitive or developmental robotics such as Robotclub and ROBOSKIN.
In the future, these types of digital technologies will assist children with autism in developing skills in a non-threatening, enjoyable, interactive environment that can be programmed to suit their various therapeutic needs.
