Kaspar the friendly robot helps autistic kids

There are similar projects in Canada, Japan and the U.S., but the British one is the most advanced according to other European robot researchers not connected with the project.

Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire first began using a version of Kaspar in 1998. The newest model is covered in silicone patches that feel like skin to help children become more comfortable with touching people. So far, almost 300 kids in Britain with autism, a disorder that affects development of social interaction and communication, have played with a Kaspar robot as part of scientific research.

The robot has only a handful of tricks, like saying “Hello, my name is Kaspar. Let’s play together,” laughing when his sides or feet are touched, raising his arms up and down, or hiding his face with his hands and crying out “Ouch. This hurts,” when he’s slapped too hard.

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But that is enough to keep autistic children enthralled. Ronnie Arloff, 4, was so eager to see Kaspar he banged on the door and shouted his name. Arloff opened his arms wide just like the robot. He also recognized facial expressions, saying “happy” when Kaspar was smiling and “sad” when he frowned.

Nan Cannon-Jones, an autism consultant at the school, said the robot helps children understand emotions and language. “After Kaspar says ‘haha’ when he’s tickled, the children learn that’s what laughing is,” she said. Two of the 12 to 17 kids who attend the pre-school have refused to play with Kaspar outright.

The school also uses speech and music therapy. “You can’t teach children to speak or play using a robot, but it helps reinforce what we’re teaching them already, like how to share and be nice to people,” Cannon-Jones said.

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