Multitouch-device-based iPod-LEGO Social Robot for Physical and Cognitive Rehabilitation

in Children with Special Needs and Elderly People

Alex Barco, Jordi Albo-Canals and Carles Garriga-Berga

Begoña García Zapirain Álvaro Sánchez

Multitouch-device-based iPod-LEGO Social Robot for Physical and Cognitive Rehabilitation

in Children with Special Needs and Elderly People

Alex Barco, Jordi Albo-Canals and Carles Garriga-Berga

Begoña García Zapirain Álvaro Sánchez

Multitouch-device-based iPod-LEGO Social Robot for Physical and Cognitive Rehabilitation

in Children with Special Needs and Elderly People

Alex Barco, Jordi Albo-Canals and Carles Garriga-Berga

Begoña García Zapirain Álvaro Sánchez

INDEX

• BACKGROUND• PREVIOUS WORK• OBJECTIVES• RESULTS• CONCLUSIONS and LINES OF FUTURE

BACKGROUND

• Robotics is a multidisciplinary scientific tool which motivates and stimulates learning in children and elderly.• Robots can perform therapeutic and companion functions simultaneously.• Humans prefer a real robot to a virtual version in one-on-one interactions.• Robotics is itself something that is easy to be accepted by people, also, as a tool can contribute to collaborative work, adapting the level of the sessions according to the children’s educational performance.

PREVIOUS WORK

• The three participant universities developed the software for the multitouch device (iPod / iPad) and accomplished the wired communication between the iPod / iPad and the LEGO NXT robot.

Teensy 2.0

RJ-12 Mini USB - USB

NXT 2.0

iPod / iPad

Camera Connection Kit

Sensors

PREVIOUS WORKPhysical and mental activitiesCognitive rehabilitation with

children with TBI

6 months

Psychologists / Engineers

Increase of the life expectancy

In Spain it is estimated that in one year 235 out of 100,000 people experience a head injury

PREVIOUS WORK

PREVIOUS WORK

• Effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment in children with TBI and elderly people in a long-term interaction.

Neuropsychological and behavioral questionnaires used for evaluation

PREVIOUS WORK

• Effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment in children with TBI and elderly people in a long-term interaction.

Satisfaction scales

OBJECTIVES

• Bluetooth wireless communication between the new LEGO Robot EV3 and the iPod 4G / iPad.• Design and develop a set of apps that contain new activities for cognitive and physical rehabilitation aimed at two groups: elderly people and children with special needs.

iPod / iPad

Bluetooth

EV3

Sensors

RESULTS

• A wireless connection via Bluetooth between the LEGO EV3 and the iPod / iPad.

RESULTS

• Promising results in different cognitive measurements during pre and post time with children with a brain trauma and elderly people.• How easy was to use the robot to deliver basic coaching for physical activities as proposed by the user.• Improved robustness in the robot.

CONCLUSIONS and LINES OF FUTURE

• Useful tool for children with special needs and elderly people.• A better communication with no wires.• To be independent from the connector.• A bigger repository of activities helped us in a better engagement with users.• Bigger sample of children and elderly people.• Focus on an improved engagement in the interaction between the user and the robot over time through a personalization.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our thanks to

who founded our project

QUESTIONS?

QUESTIONS?

QUESTIONS?