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Interactions With an Empathetic Agent: Regulating Emotions and Improving Engagement in Autism
Hifza Javed1, Chung Hyuk Park1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University.
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine
|December 10, 2021
Summary
Socially assistive robots (SARs) can help individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by improving emotion regulation (ER). This study details a robot
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Artificial Intelligence
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Socially assistive robots (SARs) are increasingly utilized in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions.
- Existing research primarily focuses on SARs as instructors for learning, language, and social skills.
- Empathy and emotion regulation (ER) impairments are critical, yet less explored, factors in ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address empathy and emotion regulation (ER) impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- To present the design of an empathetic robot's emotional capabilities and action library.
- To evaluate the robot's ER capabilities and its potential to enhance social engagement.
Main Methods:
- Designed an empathetic robot with emotional capabilities and an action library.
- Developed an algorithm for the robot to regulate user emotions.
- Conducted a user study to assess the robot's ER and social engagement priming capabilities.
Main Results:
- The robot demonstrated capabilities in emotion-based actions and emotion regulation.
- User study results indicated potential for improved ER and social engagement.
- The empathetic agent showed promise in priming higher social engagement.
Conclusions:
- Empathetic robots offer a novel approach to addressing ER challenges in ASD.
- The developed robot design and algorithms show potential for therapeutic applications.
- Further research is warranted to explore the full impact of empathetic SARs on social engagement in ASD.
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