Description: The objective of the project is the research and development of robotic systems to give children with severe cerebral palsy the opportunity to enjoy the possibilities, offered by the games, of their psychological development.

The main purpose is to create a series of prototypes of robot-toys that can give them a technological “substitute system” for their difficulty of movements and manipulation and allow them to play the same games that the cultural tradition of each community offers to the rest of the children and thus enjoy the same possibilities of development.  

Motivation: The children most severely affected with cerebral palsy are prevented from the possibilities of development through exchange and manipulation of objects and, especially, through the games associated with them. This would not happen if a specific “substitute system” is created to solve their needs. Today’s technological development makes it possible for the creation of this system: with this project we mean to build some prototypes of robot-toys that can be programmed and remote-controlled at will by the children through accessible computer systems and devices adapted to their motor skills. We think that the possibilities to remote-control at will the robot-toys and devote time to all kinds of recreational activities with them will open a wide range of possibilities for these children and their development that are so far unexplored:

a) The impossibility to introduce “objects of exchange” in the relationship between adults and children with severe cerebral palsy can be an added difficulty for the communication between them.

b) The impossibility to participate in group activities with any type of exchange of position and or objects – for example, throwing or catching a ball – deprives the children with severe cerebral palsy of the opportunity to develop some of the requirements needed for the development of the symbolic function - mainly the so-called “theory of the mind” – and so preventing them from acquiring the meaning of conventional language. The possibility of participating in group activities through the interaction with robot-toys would open doors for them to develop relationships of exchange and, with them, have easy access to the use of the symbolic function and language.

c) The possibility to participate in joint activities through robot-toys would also help them in the development of a wide range of attitudes and abilities needed for their inclusion in the social world: discovering the sense of cooperation and development of attitudes of collaboration, acceptance, and respect towards the rules and conventions needed for coexistence…

d) Finally, the impossibility of motor skill manipulation and of autonomous movement presents also the added difficulty of preventing the development of basic knowledge, especially those of space and time of the physical properties of the objects. The robot-toys will allow, by substitution, the movement and exploration of children with severe cerebral palsy, helping them to establish a solid foundation for their subsequent cognitive development.  

Objetives:

- To help in the promotion of their relationships of exchange with adults and build a system of communication with them.

- To aid them in the building of the requirements needed to access the symbolic function and conventional language- at least as an instrument for comprehension.

- To promote, through symbolic playing, the development of their world of feelings and social relationships and, in short, their autonomy and their personal identity.

- To give them the opportunity to build the basic notions that will be the foundation for their subsequent cognitive development: notions of space and time, physical qualities of the objects, causality, introduction to the estimation of quantities, and counting.

- To make it possible for them to develop a wide collection of attitudes and abilities needed for their inclusion in the social world: attitudes of collaboration and respect toward others, acceptance of the rules and conventions needed for coexistence.  

Role of Risoluta:

- Activities of research, development, innovation and human factors of the above-mentioned robotic systems.

- Development of the market analyses to ensure state-of-the-art technology in the robotic systems.

Participants: