June 04, 2007
Meet KASPAR - Robotics for Autism
KASPAR is a child-sized humanoid robot developed by the Adaptive Systems Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire. It is being used to study human-robot interaction as part of the European RobotCub Project, which aims to build an open-source robot platform for cognitive development research. The Adaptive Systems Research Group is investigating the use of gestures, expressions, synchronisation and imitation. In addition the robot may be used for developmental studies and interaction games. 
KASPAR (Kinesics and Synchronisation in Personal Assistant Robotics) resembles a little boy and has minimum facial expressions, and can move its arms and legs and allows the child to interact with it. KASPAR will be used the school system in the Hertfordshire region of the UK to carry out a series of studies to assess progress.
Over the next three years, the Adaptive Systems Research Team will investigate how robotic toys can become social mediators encouraging children with disabilities to discover a range of play skills, from solitary to social and cooperative play and provide opportunities for other children and carers/teachers or parents to join in.
The researchers point out that the idea is that the robot will be a mediator for human contact and through interacting with the robot, children who would not normally mix are becoming interested in getting involved with other children and humans in general. This work could pave the way for having robots in the classroom and in homes to facilitate these types of interactions.