Robot playmate for austistic children

Kaspar is a child-sized humanoid robot built by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK and designed to help autistic children interact with other people.

Kaspar has embedded tactile sensors which provide feedback so that he can respond to children playing with him. He can either encourage or discourage different kinds of touch, in different areas of his body, to teach autistic children about acceptable touching. He also has facial expressions, which are produced by a series of motors underneath the face.

The Roboskin Project is being carried out by a consortium of European Universities.

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tags: Research