Infants in general are very curious about their environment. They like to explore their surroundings grabbing at things which usually end with some sort of ‘taste test’ of whatever object they managed to get their little hands on. Then comes the time when we teach them to walk, to which they become mobile taste testers and nothing gets left untouched. But what if you’re child has a disability like spina bifida or cerebral palsy that makes exploring their world non-existent without help? Researchers at Ithaca College have recently come up with a solution for those infants and toddlers with a robotic chair that they can get around in. The base of the chair is actually a Pioneer 3 robot to which the researchers affixed a Wii Fit balance board with a child’s seat strapped to it. The child moves the robo-chair by leaning in any direction and the unit moves accordingly. Parents can also control the chair with the use of a remote joystick that also acts as an override control device. The chair is also equipped with sonar sensors that detect obstacles or walls to prevent accidental crashes. Tests were conducted with infants from seven to nine months in age and noted that the children were ready and willing to explore on their own. Could this also be a beneficial psychological tool in healthy child development for reduced apathetic behavior and depressed motivation?
Eavesdropper