Research data shows that about 1 in every 160 children globally has autism spectrum disorder. For children with autism, social interactions with family members or society might be a challenging task. Well, now robots can help them. Thanks to artificial intelligence. In a new study published in Science Robotics, researchers report that AI-powered robots can also help children with ASD to develop the social skills they need in order to communicate more effectively. 

The study described a new computer model, dubbed Socially Assistive Robotics, or SAR, designed to provide personalized verbal and visual feedback to children with ASD. The new model consists of two parts, a tablet for the children to play math games and a small bird-shaped robot that provides the instructions and feedback about the task. 

 A team at the University of Southern California led by Maja J. Matarić created this machine-learning model that uses audio and video data, like dialogue or eye contact, from autistic children’s interactions with the robot. It then analyses the data to see whether they are engaged in a given training activity. The robot can also react and re-engage them if they are not reacting. The model reached a 90 per cent accuracy in predicting the child’s engagement, despite noisy data and high variability among participants.

“Kids need to learn in a social setting. But for kids with autism, they don’t get enough practice with that. That’s why the robot is important,” says Matarić. Researchers say that the concept of SAR is not to displace therapy but to complement it. Previous research by the same group found that children who played the math games saw an improvement in reasoning, long-term retention of learning, and social skills.