Differences in the Optimal Motion of Android Robots for the Ease of Communications Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Android robots are employed in various fields. Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have the motivation and aptitude for using such robots. Interactions with these robots are structured to resemble social situations in which certain social behaviors can occur and to simulate daily life. Considering that individuals with ASD have strong likes and dislikes, ensuring not only the optimal appearance but also the optimal motion of robots is important to achieve smooth interaction and to draw out the potential of robotic interventions. We investigated whether individuals with ASD found it easier to talk to an android robot with little motion (i.e., only opening and closing its mouth during speech) or an android robot with much motion (i.e., in addition to opening and closing its mouth during speech, moving its eyes from side to side and up and down, blinking, deeply breathing, and turning or moving its head or body at random). This was a crossover study in which a total of 25 participants with ASD experienced mock interviews conducted by an android robot with much spontaneous facial and bodily motion and an android robot with little motion. We compared demographic data between participants who answered that the android robot with much motion was easier to talk to than android robot with little motion and those who answered the opposite. In addition, we investigated how each type of demographic data was related to participants' feeling of comfort in an interview setting with an android robot. Fourteen participants indicated that the android robot with little motion was easier to talk to than the robot with much motion, whereas 11 participants answered the opposite. There were significant differences between these two groups in the sensory sensitivity score, which reflects the tendency to show a low neurological threshold. In addition, we found correlations between the sensation seeking score, which reflects the tendency to show a high neurological threshold, and self-report ratings of comfort in each condition. These results provide preliminary support for the importance of setting the motion of an android robot considering the sensory traits of ASD.

Self-administered questionnaires enhance emotion estimation of individuals with autism spectrum disorders in a robotic interview setting

“…In this study, among the self-administered questionnaire variables, the sensory profile would have a contribution to robot perception of affect and engagement. Kumazaki et al (20) revealed that in an interview setting with an android robot, the sensory profile is an important factor for estimating the attitude of individuals with ASD toward android robots, which is in line with the results of this study. Kim et al (48) suggested that improving audio-based emotion estimation for individuals with ASD could allow the robotic system to properly assess the engagement of individuals, which is consistent with the results of this study.…”

“…Kumazaki et al. ( 20 ) revealed that in an interview setting with an android robot, the sensory profile is an important factor for estimating the attitude of individuals with ASD toward android robots, which is in line with the results of this study.…”

“…The order of the four conditions was randomly assigned and counterbalanced among participants to reduce the order effect. The reason for including four conditions is that individuals with ASD vary regarding preferred behaviors ( 20 ).…”

“…If a patient does not develop a positive attitude toward the robot, the intervention becomes challenging. As each individual with ASD has strong likes and dislikes ( 19 ), the optimal motion of android robots for facilitating communication differs among these individuals ( 20 ). However, in previous studies using android robots, the android parameters were uniform rather than personalized ( 13 – 18 ).…”

Social skills training using multiple humanoid robots for individuals with autism spectrum conditions

“…We used A-Lab android ST ( Figure 1 ) ( 41 , 42 ) (A-Lab Co., Ltd., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan), which is a female android robot with an appearance similar to that of a real person. Its motor system consisted of air cylinders and rotary actuators with the 19 degrees of freedom (DoFs) to produce flexible and silent motions: 12 for facial expression such as smiling and brow movements, 4 for head motion such as nodding, and 3 for upper body motion such as breathing.…”