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from Intrinsic Motivations to Transitional Wearable INtelligent companions for autism spectrum disorder

Project description

Enhancing a wearable companion robot for children with ASD

Research into autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important since the condition affects about 1 in 10 newborn children in developed countries. Previous EU-funded research resulted in the development of a prototype wearable companion robot called PlusMe for ASD treatment and daily support. The EU-funded IM-TWIN project now aims to furnish PlusMe with intelligent behaviour, give it extra embedded biosensors and cameras for detecting a child’s affective state and integrate all components into an Internet of Things system itself called IM-TWIN. It will also validate the device and its components with target stakeholders and perform activities to advance the system components to a higher technology readiness level. The project’s work will help to meet the needs of ASD therapy centres and families with children with ASD.

Objective

The IM-TWIN project aims to develop some of the outcomes of the FET GOAL-Robots project towards market exploitation. The basic-research FET GOAL-Robots project aimed to study how intrinsic motivations (“curiosity”) drive exploration and learning in children, and how such processes can be used to develop innovative autonomous robots. This led to conceive the idea that intrinsic motivations can be used to build engaging interactive robots usable for the treatment of children with developmental disorders, in particular within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a condition with dramatic importance for the well-being of society as it affects about 1 out of 10 newborns in developed countries. We thus developed a “wearable companion robot”, usable for the treatment and daily support of ASD, called PlusMe, now at the stage of prototype. The IM-TWIN project has two sets of objectives. The first is to develop a highly-modular system pivoting on the PlusMe, called the IM-TWIN, addressing the needs of the market segment involving ASD therapy centres and, potentially, families with ASD children: this involves endowing the PlusMe with intelligent behaviour, equipping it with additional embedded biosensors and cameras for detecting the child’s affective/emotional state, and integrating all components as a whole IoT system. The second set of objectives aims to validate the device and its components with target stakeholders, and to carry out a number of activities directed to advance the system components to a higher Technological Readiness Level (TRL7 for the PlusMe): this involves identifying the target groups and analysing ASD-related markets, refining and implementing an effective IPR strategy, planning the steps for individual and collective exploitation of the project outcomes, and finally creating a startup for the exploitation of the IM-TWIN system and its components. IM-TWIN will also foster the development of a lively high-tech research and application ecosystem.

Call for proposal

H2020-FETPROACT-2019-2020

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Sub call

H2020-EIC-FETPROACT-2019

Coordinator

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Net EU contribution
€ 879 916,25
Address
PIAZZALE ALDO MORO 7
00185 Roma
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 879 916,25

Participants (4)