OHBOT - The robot helping children with autism to communicate
You might have seen Ohbot Robot elsewhere as it is a product designed and manufactured in the UK, however, a research company in Italy has been experimenting with the Ohbot Robot to see if they can help children with autism practice their communication skills. The robot head is programmed using Scratch and in this example has responses programmed into it so when a user says something it will reply with predictable facial expressions and spoken answers.
The current robots that are used in therapy sessions with children with autism are very expensive and therefore not accessible to low-income families. The Ohbot could be a great alternative as it only costs less than $150 (more sophisticated robots can cost thousands of dollars).
The experiment with Ohbot Robot is still very much in its infancy as it has only been trialed with three children so far. Biosphaera is currently looking for psychologists, scientists, and teachers to give advice on the best way to program the robot to help autistic children. They are also looking for funding.
If you would like to reach out to the people involved with the project you can contact them on the Biosphaera website.
Residing on the south coast of England, Rich has spent the last few years building Electomaker.io from the ground up. He is usually found behind a laptop coordinating the rest of the EM team and occasionally finding time to contribute articles to the blog. When not tapping away at a laptop, he can be found either paddleboarding, at the beach, playing golf (badly), or camping with his family.
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