Autistic children have a deep interest in technology. Russell is a humanoid robot created by scientists at Vanderbilt University with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that helps autistic children develop social skills.
In the video, Russell tries to engage Madeline, a 3-year-old autistic girl. Cameras and a Microsoft Kinect sensor track and record the child's movements and send the information wirelessly to Russell, who then gauges how engaged the child is and provides feedback accordingly. In this way, Russell helps autistic children gain social skills in the ability to imitate others, a skill essential to learning.
We also recommend watching: "Rosalind Picard: Assisting Autism with Emotion Technology" and "Nao Next Gen: The New Generation of RoboToys".
Russell: Robot Helps Autistic Children Develop Social Skills
Vanderbilt University, colloquially known as Vandy, is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named in honor of shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the South. The Commodore hoped that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War.