Technology and Disability 16 (2004) 131–136 131 IOS Press Development Pilot A toy robot for physically disabled children Barbara Prazak a,* , Gernot Kronreif b , Andreas Hochgatterer a and Martin F ¨ urst b a Research Group on Rehabilitation and Inclusion, ARC Seibersdorf research GmbH, Viktor Kaplan Str. 2, A-2700 Wr. Neustadt, Austria Tel.: +43 2622 69290 30; Fax: +43 2622 69290 24; E-Mail: barbara.prazak@arcsmed.at b Mechatronic Automation Systems, Group for Intelligent Robotics, ARC Seibersdorf research GmbH, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria Abstract. The aim of this project is to explore how children with physical disabilities could use a toy robot system for autonomous playing. Children with physical disabilities have difficulties interacting with the material environment and they have fewer possibilities for autonomous play. This paper reports the developmental process of a robot system and results of the first user trials with this system and the target group. Working with this toy robot system allows children with physical disabilities to independently manipulate the real objects in a play situation. Future development is outlined. Keywords: Rehabilitation robots, play for children with physical disabilities, robot assistance, human-machine-interface 1. Introduction It is a well known fact in the field of developmental psychology that interacting is a substantial aspect of child development [4,12]. Playing can be an impor- tant part of daily life interaction. Children with physi- cal disabilities have limited possibilities for interaction with social and material environment. Starting in early 2002 Integr@Point 1 has been working in cooperation with ARC Seibersdorf research centre on a project con- cerning toy adaptations. A similar project is being car- ried out at SIVA in Italy [1]. Other researchers have investigated the use and the potential of robot systems for children with autism to enhance their interaction capabilities [7,10,11]. Children with different kinds of physical disabilities should receive the possibility to access common toys * Corresponding author. 1 Integr@Point (a cooperation with Lebenshilfe N ¨ O) is a usability and demonstration lab and a consultation centre which offers peo- ple with disabilities (focus on physical and/or mental handicaps), their relatives, teachers and therapists a wide range of information and advice about how technical aids in the field of computers and electronics can contribute to an improved quality of everyday life. with up-to-date technology. In a first step, commer- cially available toy systems were equipped with dedi- cated interfaces in order to allow various kinds of in- teraction with the real world. Toys should be made accessible via sensors and interfaces used in the reha- bilitation field (single switches etc.). E.g. the “danc- ing bear” starts to dance after its fingers are pressed– a toy interaction which is normally not possible for the selected target group. After the integration of a single switch the toy can now be used by physically disabled children. Using this set-up the children are now able to see and learn by themselves that they can affect their environment in a certain way [8]. Another goal of this system set-up is to train the children to become accus- tomed to special input devices, like joysticks, sensors, and the like. 2. Structure of the project 2.1. Aims This article discusses the use and the effects of ap- plying a prototype toy robot system for physically dis- ISSN 1055-4181/04/$17.00  2004 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved