Humanoid robot iCub enters rehabilitation facility to treat children with autism

For the first time in the world, the humanoid robot iCub, developed and built by researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), enters a rehabilitation facility to take part in an experimental therapy to treat cognitive impairments in children with autism spectrum condition.

The experimental protocol has been defined by the IIT team "Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction", led by researcher Agnieszka Wykowska, in collaboration with the rehabilitation team of the Boggiano Pico Center-Opera Don Orione in Genova, a healthcare center specialized in the treatment of various neurodevelopmental conditions. The initial therapy phase involves 50 children and it will last until June 2021.

The Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) is an extremely complex condition that begins in childhood and tends to persist into adolescence and adulthood. It is present in about 1% of the world population. WHO estimated that worldwide one in 160 children has an ASD. There is no known cure for ASC, however specific behavioral treatment can reduce difficulties in communication and social behavior, with positive impact on people's quality of life.

IIT and Opera Don Orione's experimental training protocol was born from the idea of combining research and the most advanced technology for being at service of children and their families in a clinical context. The protocol reflects a multidisciplinary approach for understanding and treating ASC, where clinicians and researchers collaborated in order to introduce the use of humanoid robot iCub in the therapeutic path of children with ASC.

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