Profiling Robot-Mediated Play for Children with Disabilities through ICF-CY: The Example of the European Project IROMEC

This paper, from the description of the research activities of the ongoing European project IROMEC, discusses the potential role of the brand new version Children and Youth of ICF (International Classification of Functioning and Disability) as an useful resource in the design development and outcomes evaluation of robotic toys used as play mediators in educational and therapy settings with children with physical and/or cognitive impairments. ICF-CY has been used as a methodological framework in users' needs assessment, in building appropriate task analysis of play activities, in robot requirements definition and in outcomes analysis will be examined. Further and deeper researches are needed to better understand strengths and weaknesses of such an approach.

[1]  François Michaud,et al.  Assistive Technologies and Children-Robot Interaction , 2007, AAAI Spring Symposium: Multidisciplinary Collaboration for Socially Assistive Robotics.

[2]  Kerstin Dautenhahn,et al.  Robotic Playmates: Analysing Interactive Competencies of Children with Autism Playing with a Mobile Robot , 2002 .

[3]  I. René J. A. te Boekhorst,et al.  Is this robot like me? Links between human and robot personality traits , 2005, 5th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, 2005..

[4]  Ester Ferrari,et al.  Critical Factors Involved in Using Interactive Robots for Play Activities of Children with Disabilities , 2007 .

[5]  T. Bedirhan Üstün,et al.  Application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in clinical practice , 2002, Disability and rehabilitation.

[6]  Frederick A. Miller,et al.  The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity , 2002 .

[7]  J. Katz,et al.  Clinical Commentary , 2007, Journal of attention disorders.

[8]  M. Leonardi,et al.  Applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to measure childhood disability , 2003, Disability and rehabilitation.

[9]  Illah R. Nourbakhsh,et al.  A survey of socially interactive robots , 2003, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[10]  C. L. Callahan,et al.  The quality of life. , 1970, Nursing outlook.

[11]  D. Feil-Seifer,et al.  Defining socially assistive robotics , 2005, 9th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, 2005. ICORR 2005..

[12]  C. Wogerer,et al.  Playing assistant for physical handicapped children , 2005, Proceedings, 2005 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics..

[13]  Marcia J. Scherer,et al.  Assessing the Benefits of Assistive Technologies for Activities and Participation. , 2005 .

[14]  Jodi Forlizzi,et al.  Assistive Robotics and an Ecology of Elders Living Independently in Their Homes , 2004, Hum. Comput. Interact..