Using Robotics To Assist In Determining Cognitive Age Of Very Young Children

In t h i s s t u d y , we i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e relat i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a l a g e o f v e r y y o u n g ab le-bodied c h i l d r e n a n d their i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h t h e Hero 2000 robot. T h i s s t u d y will b e u s e d t o d e s i g n a p r o t o c o l f o r d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n u s i n g t h e Hero 2000 robot. E x c e p t i o n al c h i l d r e n are a t a much h i g h e r risk o f d e v e l o p m e n t a l d e l a y s b e c a u s e o f t h e i r i n a b i l i t y t o c o n t r o l t h e world a r o u n d them. We a n t i c i p a t e t h a t r o b o t i c s c a n b e u s e d t o assist i n t h e c o g n i t i v e d e v e l o p m e n t o f m o t o r i c a l l y d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n f r o m o n e t o three y e a r s of age. INTRODUCTION I n f a n t s l e a r n by i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h t h e i r s u r r o u n d i n g s . V e r y y o u n g m o t o r i c a l l y d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n are a t a d e v e l o p m e n t a l d i s a d v a n t a g e b e c a u s e o f their i n a b i l i t y t o m a n i p u l a t e t h e world a r o u n d them. T h e s e c h i l d r e n are a t t h e risk o f ' l e a r n i n g ' t h a t t h e y are h e l p l e s s a n d u n a b l e do f o r t h e m s e l v e s ( B r i n k e r a n d Lewis , 1982). T e c h n o l o g y c a n b e u s e d w i t h e a r l y int e r v e n t i o n p r o g r a m s t o c i r c u m v e n t t h e p r o c e s s o f " l e a r n e d h e l p l e s s n e s s " . I t is known t h a t d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n as y o u n g as 3 m o n t h s c a n make u s e of c o m p u t e r s ( B r i n k e r a n d Lewis, 1982), a n d those o f 7-8 m o n t h s d e v e l o p m e n t a l a g e will u s e a robotic arm (Cook e t al., 1988). T h e s e s t u d i e s i n d i c a t e t h a t a mobile, t a l k i n g robot w i t h a robotic arm may b e o f a s s i s t a n c e i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f v e r y y o u n g d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n . P i a g e t a n d o t h e r e x p e r t s i n c h i l d d e v e l o p men t h a v e o u t l i n e d a s e q u e n c e of c o g n i t i v e l e v e l s f o r i n f a n t s a n d v e r y y o u n g c h i l d r e n which are e x e m p l i f i e d by t h e i r i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h the e n v i r o n m e n t ( B r a i n e r d , 1978). In t h i s s t u d y , t h e Hero 2000 robot was programmed t o c a r r y o u t a series of a c t i o n s which correlate t o c o g n i t i v e d e v e l o p m e n t a l l e v e l s of v e r y y o u n g