Mobile Application for Executing Therapies with Robots

While robotic technology is being incorporated in therapies, still not enough research has been done to find out how different end-users are willing or able to use robots in their practice. To investigate this issue, a specific study has been designed to determine the preferences of end-users that execute or receive therapies using robots. We applied a participatory design approach which included brainstorming and testing at every stage of the development process. We first determine the preferences of professionals from clinics and schools for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The results indicated that shared (semi-autonomous) control of the robot is preferred in therapies, and mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, are the preferred interface for the shared robot control. The outcomes of this first stage of research were used as design requirements for the development of a mobile application to be used as an interactive robot control interface. We further developed and tested the application for usability by a broad spectrum of users.