Meet the Robots Changing the Face of Autism Therapy
In Part 1 of a four-part series, we explore disability in the digital age: how tech is offering new solutions, and new questions, for the future of human interaction.
In a recorded therapy session, humanoid robot Kaspar blankly bats his large, round eyes at a young autistic boy. The boy timidly tickles Kaspar’s feet, then flashes an ecstatic grin when the robot says, “This is nice. It tickles me.”
Ben Robins, a Kaspar researcher at Hertfordshire University in southern England, hopes that such modest breakthroughs could help children on the autism spectrum learn to socialize.
“Every autistic child is so different, but most open up to robots,” says Robins. “Kaspar is predictable, meaning there are no surprises, so children feel that he creates a reliable environment.”
In clinical trials involving nearly 200 children over the course of more than a decade, Robins has seen Kaspar the Robot encourage autistic schoolchildren to eat at snack time, get comfortable with hugging, and, most important, find a safe space for practicing communication with peers — a daunting task for many on the spectrum.
With Kaspar’s slightly metallic voice and baseball hat fitted atop a shock of dark hair, parents of those in the clinical studies have likened him to Chucky, the…
