Sugar, Salt & Pepper

Topics & Goals

What we are looking for, this is our challenge.

Pepper showing the laboratory's activities

Sugar, Salt & Pepper - Humanoid robotics for autism

Autism spectrum disorders include a group of permanent disabilities that affect the ability to communicate, understand social cues, and recognize and express emotions.

In the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders, the interest is directed more towards objects and components of objects and, moreover, there is a particular predisposition and interest in electronic and computer devices.

Robotic therapy for autism has been explored as one of the first application domains in the field of socially assistive robotics (SAR), which aims to develop robots that help people with special needs through social interaction.

Project main goals

The aim of the research project Sugar, Salt & Pepper - Humanoid robotics for autism - envisions the use of the Pepper robot in a therapeutic laboratory on autonomy to promote functional acquisitions in children diagnosed with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder / Asperger's syndrome.

We would like also to:

Test the exchanges and interactions of the child with autism in rehabilitation contexts (work on language / communication, on emotions, social skills training, etc.) with the robot to help the operators (psychologists, educators, speech therapists, etc.).
Provide them with a space within which they can increase their mutual communication and socialization skills and strengthening their acquisition of strategies and processes related to daily activities, with the aid of the Pepper robot, configured as a highly motivating and scalable tool.
Collect and analyze environmental and interpersonal data that can often escape subjective observation but which allow to better outline and deepen the functioning profile of the autistic subject.

Publications

Sugar, Salt & Pepper - Humanoid robotics for autism

Cristina Gena, Claudio Mattutino, Stefania Brighenti, Andrea Meirone, Francesco Petriglia,Loredana Mazzotta, Federica Liscio, Matteo Nazzario, Valeria Ricci, Camilla Quarato, Cesare Pecone, Giuseppe Piccinni

Socialize Workshop, the first Workshop on SOcial and Cultural IntegrAtion with PersonaLIZEd Interfaces (SOCIALIZE), Intelligent User Interface Conference 2021 (IUI2021)