UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
     COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM
     
                presents
     
     "Promoting Collaborative and Interactive 
     Play among Children with Autism using an 
        Autonomous Humanoid Robot"
     
              Josh Wainer
     (Adaptive Systems Research Group, 
      School of Computer Science,University
            of Hertfordshire)
     
        20 October 2010 (Wednesday)
          Lecture Theatre A161
     
        Hatfield, College Lane Campus
                1 -2 pm

     
      Everyone is Welcome to Attend
     
      Refreshments will be available
     


 Abstract:

 Children with autism prefer to play in repetitive ways and in highly 
 structured situations, so they find it easier to play with computers, 
 electronic devices, and robots than to play with other people. In 
 addition, children with autism will also socially interact with robots 
 in a much more engaged manner than they will with people. How-
 ever, when the robots act as "social mediators", children with 
 autism can socially interact with other people, even those with 
 autism, in novel and engaging ways. This talk will focus on my 
 research of using these findings to make an autonomous 
 humanoid robot foster collaborative, socially interactive play 
 between children with autism and other people.

 
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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://homepages.stca.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/colloq