Humanoid-Robot as Teaching Mediator: Research Model in Demonstrating the Autistic Children Learning Motivation Based on the Emotional Responses

摘要

Autism is one type of learning disabilities that comes with impairments in communication, interaction, as well as imagination. Children with autism tend to isolate themselves due to their inability to properly interact with their surroundings. Technology such as iPad and laptops hadbeen proven to enhance the autistic children communication and interaction ability. In recent years, research had started to embark on the journey of applying the use of robot for therapy session with the autistic children and few studies had successfully proven to minimize the traits of anautistic child. However, research conducted on autism children with the humanoid-robot rarely takes into consideration the children’s feeling and emotion. This had become the main motivation in conducting this research. There are two objectives of the research, (1) To identify the children’semotional responses toward different learning modules during the humanoid-robot interaction; and (2) To demonstrate the children’s learning motivation with humanoid-robot NAO based on the emotional responses. Evaluation experiment was executed adopting the Kansei assessment method. Theemotional data collected from the humanoid-robot intervention were then being marked onto the Modified Fogg’s Behavioral Model to learn on the change in learning motivation of the subject involved. This study would open up the possibilities to interpret the emotion and feelings of theautistic children which all this while were said as to be emotionless.