Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2.
Multiple physical and cognitive disabilities:
This group had greater, but
still limited, control over their surrounding environment. They were able to
use one switch to control the robot in tasks such as fetching a toy or taking
toys to play partners. They took turns with the researcher. This group's
verbal skills improved, their willingness to interact with others increased,
and their ability to concentrate on new tasks was apparent throughout the
sessions.
3.
Greater physical and cognitive abilities:
These children controlled the
robots using multiple switches. This group could drive the robot through
an obstacle course, create stories, use the robot to take specific items
to others, and use the arm to sort and play games with other students.
Their socialization skills increased, and they became more outgoing and
vocal. Their parents were pleased as they noticed changes in the home
environment.
Children in groups 2 and 3 demonstrated discovery using the robots in
symbolic and imaginative play. All of the children were able to demonstrate a
range of cognitive skills, even though many of them were judged non-testable
on standardized tests. The hypothesis was proven true, and a hierarchy of
cognitive skills represented by robot tasks was developed.
4.4 Robot Use by Very Young Typically
Developing Children
If robot-based tasks are to be used as a proxy measure of cognitive develop-
ment, it is important to know how typically developing young children are
able to use the robot. Few studies have addressed robot use with very young
children. A recent study involved typically developing children aged 3, 4 and
5years[
19
]. They used a Lego robot to complete tasks based on the cogni-
tive concepts of causality, negation, binary logic, and sequencing. All of these
tasks are related to the use of electronic assistive technologies and the use of
robots for exploration and discovery.
Of the cognitive skills, causality was understood by all of the participants,
negation (the concept that releasing a switch was an action) and binary logic
(left and right) task were understood by the 4-and 5-year-olds. The 3-year-
olds had more diculty with negation and none were able to consistently
use a two-step sequence to accomplish a task. Most of the 4-and 5-year-olds
accomplished the two-step sequence successfully. This study confirmed that
robot-related tasks were dependent on developmental level. This provides
the basis for using simple robot tasks to probe cognitive understanding and
developmental level in children who have disabilities.
