Project INSIDE: towards autonomous semi-unstructured human–robot social interaction in autism therapy

Francisco S. Melo, Alberto Sardinha, David Belo, Marta Couto, Miguel Faria, Anabela Farias, Hugo Gamboa, Cátia Jesus, Mithun Kinarullathil, Pedro Lima, Luís Luz, André Mateus, Isabel Melo, Plinio Moreno, Daniel Osório, Ana Paiva, Jhielson Pimentel, João Rodrigues, Pedro Sequeira, Rubén Solera-UreñaMiguel Vasco, Manuela Veloso, Rodrigo Ventura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper describes the INSIDE system, a networked robot system designed to allow the use of mobile robots as active players in the therapy of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While a significant volume of work has explored the impact of robots in ASD therapy, most such work comprises remotely operated robots and/or well-structured interaction dynamics. In contrast, the INSIDE system allows for complex, semi-unstructured interaction in ASD therapy while featuring a fully autonomous robot. In this paper we describe the hardware and software infrastructure that supports such rich form of interaction, as well as the design methodology that guided the development of the INSIDE system. We also present some results on the use of our system both in pilot and in a long-term study comprising multiple therapy sessions with children at Hospital Garcia de Orta, in Portugal, highlighting the robustness and autonomy of the system as a whole.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)198-216
JournalArtificial Intelligence In Medicine
Volume96
Early online date28 Dec 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2019

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