CosmoBot is a child-friendly, interactive remote controlled

Telerehabilitation Telerehabilitation (or e-rehabilitation is the delivery of rehabilitation services over telecommunication networks and the internet. Telerehabilitation allows patients to interact with providers remotely and can be used both to assess patients ...

robot designed by AnthroTronix, Inc. CosmoBot is part of an overall

assistive technology Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...

system that includes the CosmoBot robot, Mission Control input device, and accompanying software. With the accompanying software, CosmoBot can be used as part of a

play therapy Play therapy refers to a range of methods of capitalising on children's natural urge to explore and harnessing it to meet and respond to the developmental and later also their mental health needs. It is also used for Anatomically correct doll, f ...

program that promotes

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

and

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

of disabled children. During therapy sessions, the CosmoBot system automatically collects data for therapist evaluation.

History

The concept of CosmoBot was created by Dr. Corinna Latham, who co founded AnthroTronix, Inc. with Jack Vice in 1999. The entire CosmoBot system is manufactured and marketed by AT KidSystems, Inc. Development of CosmoBot was sponsored by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

and the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

Theory

Why was it designed?

CosmoBot was designed as an assistive tool for therapists and educators working with developmentally and

learning disabled Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

children, including those with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

. Enjoyable interaction with CosmoBot provides motivation for children to develop new skills more quickly than in traditional therapy. CosmoBot is designed to target many educational goals, ranging from communication to developmental goals.

Design goals

The most important goal of CosmoBot is to provide long-term motivation for children to actively participate in therapy and to help children achieve goals set by therapists and educators. Since CosmoBot will be used by children with varying levels of mobility,

motor skills A motor skill is a function that involves specific movements of the body's muscles to perform a certain task. These tasks could include walking, running, or riding a bike. In order to perform this skill, the body's nervous system, muscles, and br ...

, and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, it needs to be easy to use and adaptable to different users. CosmoBot is designed for an

inclusive classroom Inclusive Classroom is a term used within American pedagogy to describe a classroom in which all students, irrespective of their abilities or skills, are welcomed holistically. It is built on the notion that being in a non-segregated classroom wil ...

setting and must allow children to interact with their environment. It must be safe to use, hygienic, and durable. The CosmoBot system must include the capability to collect data that the therapist needs to monitor different objectives.

Target Audience

CosmoBot is intended for use by developmentally disabled children ages 5–12 under the guidance of a therapist or educator. The CosmoBot system is expected to be used as part of an

Individualized Education Program An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document under United States law that is developed for each public school child in the U.S. who needs special education. It is created through a team of the child's parent(s) and district person ...

developed in accordance with the

IDEA In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being ...

. The most current version of the law is known as PL 108-446 or IDEA 2004. It is currently being marketed to therapists and educators, although AT KidSystems expects to produce a home version of the robot. A home version of the Mission Control input device and accompanying software, Cosmo's Play and Learn, is currently being marketed to parents of children ages 3–5 with and without disabilities.

The robot

CosmoBot is a 16-inch tall robot with nine degrees of freedom that is controlled by components of the CosmoBot system: a therapist can operate CosmoBot via computer-based software, and children can operate CosmoBot by using one of several

input devices In computing, an input device is a piece of equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system, such as a computer or information appliance. Examples of input devices include keyboards, mouse, scanners, cameras ...

described in the next section.

Movement

Hidden wheels allow the robot to move forward and backward on flat surfaces and to rotate left and right. Each arm has two degrees of freedom, allowing the shoulders to flex and rotate to imitate human shoulder joint movement; the robot can raise and lowers its arms, grab objects, and clap. The head moves in pitch (nodding yes) and yaw (shaking no), and the mouth opens and closes.

Modes of operation

The therapist selects which of three modes of operation is appropriate for each therapy goal and creates a lesson tailored to each child.

Live Play

CosmoBot can be programmed to immediately perform actions upon receipt of a command from the therapist or child through any of the input devices (below).

Simon Says

The therapist can make CosmoBot perform an activity, such as lifting its arms, and ask the child to mimic the motions that CosmoBot makes; this activity is similar to the game

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be follow ...

. The therapist can also use a microphone to talk through CosmoBot and ask the child to perform an activity or issue a voice command.

Playback

The therapist or the child can make CosmoBot perform a series of activities while the system records the sequence. The therapist can then play back the sequence while the child performs the activities at the same time. The therapist or child can also tell and record a story or a song through CosmoBot and interact as it is repeated.

Interface and input devices

Software

The software includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the therapist to control the movement of the robot. The software also allows the therapist to set up and monitor the interaction between the child and CosmoBot, and to evaluate their interaction via automatic data collection. The software also stores individual data on the input actions of the children and resulting robotic movement.

Mission Control

Mission Control is CosmoBot's child-friendly version of a keyboard. It contains four large, pressure-sensitive buttons, called aFFx Activators, and incorporates a microphone. It also includes two USB ports for connection of gestural sensors. The therapist uses the GUI to assign a function to each button, such as indicating that depression of the red button will move CosmoBot forward. Activity labels can be placed in front of each button to remind the child of which activity is associated with which button. Four additional buttons can be connected to the back of Mission Control, allowing the therapist to maintain control of the lesson.

Voice input

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...

is one of the components in Mission Control, allowing voice input to control the robot. The child can control CosmoBot's movement with speech, using commands such as “forward” and “back”. The therapist can also use the microphone to speak through CosmoBot and engage the child in conversation, or the child can speak through the microphone while CosmoBot's mouth moves.

Gestural sensors

The child can control CosmoBot's movement using additional sensors connected to Mission Control. The array of custom sensors from left to right are an adapted OEM joystick, a wearable leg sensor, wearable arm sensor, wearable head sensor, wearable wrist extension glove, and a sensor to measure forearm pronation and supination, showns with arm restraint brace.

References

* Brisben, A. J., Lockerd, A. D., & Lathan, C. (Jun, 2004). Design evolution of an interactive robot for therapy. ''Telemedicine Journal and e-Health''. 10, 252-259. * Lathan, C., Brisben, A., & Safos, C. (April 2005). CosmoBot levels the playing field for disabled children. ''Interactions -- Special Issue: Robots!''. 12, 14-16. * Lathan, C.E., Tracey, M. R., Vice, J.M., Druin, A., & Plaisant, C. Robotic Apparatus and Wireless Communication System, US Patent Application 10/085, 821 filed February 27, 2002

External links

AnthroTronix, Inc.

AT Kid Systems

RERC on Telerehabilitation
* ** *** {{Dead Youtube links, date=February 2022 Telerehabilitation Therapeutic robots 1999 robots Robots of the United States Humanoid robots Rolling robots