Therabot: An Adaptive Therapeutic Support Robot

Description

Therabot is a socially assistive robot designed to provide therapeutic support at home and in counselling settings. As it is specifically designed for those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) it is suitable for children who have been subjected to sexual abuse. The robot resembles an animal and was developed through an iterative design process; both therapists and trauma survivors were consulted. Through touch sensing Therabot can deduce the user’s stress level and provide support accordingly. The researchers plan on developing the robot further by integrating AI in order to allow the robot to adapt and customise its interactions to the preferences of each user.

File
Tags
Post-crime effortsChild-focusedRoboticsPost-traumatic stress (PTS)
Type
Research (peer reviewed)
Year
2018