INTRODUCTION
Background
In this study the tasks that will be accomplish is to make a research about the humanoid robot that currently use NAO robot in order to give a therapy to individuals with autism. In this research the subject are children with special ability that mostly involved 6 till 12 year's old child. In this research there has to be an interaction between the child, therapists, and robots are needed for each other in order to help the child in treatment. So from here we can see in between the therapists and robot interaction the developments of the GUI which are really important for the therapists in order to fully control NAO robot for the therapy. Sometimes therapists are not really knowledgeable in the software in order to improve or adding the data for the NAO robot module that used to help autistic children. If the GUI is less user-friendly that will bring another problem to them for develop a new module data that already added in database sources. The GUI that developed has to be interfacing each other with the network and also database that created. The GUI is based on the internet platform which everybody could excess and sharing the information where ever they are in the other words the development of the new website which is give a lot of benefit to the users especially in term of data sharing. In this research we also have to collect the information about the suitable programming language that going to use in developing the GUI.
So the child with echolalia as an example, obviously language isn't going to be the easiest thing to use with them, but instead if you're going to use something that is going to be a visual image to help them understand, or an object of reference, or you're modelling the behaviour that you are asking the child to be able to copy what you. Echolalia may occur in response to distress, to support concentration, for enjoyment, or as communicative intent. This brief description offers tips and sample strategies located in the literature to shape echolalia into meaningful communication. The process includes tips and strategies that are not presented in any set sequence. The analyses of the clinical symptoms showed a trend for an association with rs12603582 (P=0.008; Pcorr=0.064) and positive results for the haplotype composed of rs15908 and rs12603582 (Pglcorr=0.048; Pindcorr=0.015), both in symptoms of echolalia.
Problem Statement
Echolalia is a neurological disorder, which is characterized by uncontrolled repetition of words and phrases. Consider its features, methods of treatment and prevention. The echolalia definition is that some children with autism may repeat or echo another person's noises, speech, words, or phrases. A person with echolalia may or may not be able to understand others or communicate independently.
Most of the designs of GUIs interfaces are not that much effective in helping the users during their search and gathering for information at the database website. Some of the GUI that developed for the humanoid robot are less user-friendly and it bring the user became confuse with what should be done in order to upload and download the existing module sessions that consist on the database website. It is because of some of the users are lack of computer knowledge. These kinds of problems bring GUI less effective, inefficient and bring low satisfaction on users.
Simplify the overall interface to the bare minimum, and keep people focused on the important features. Nowadays, there are a lot of development of GUI interface that has being create but the problem is there many interfaces that consist of useless features that only give confused to the users. In order to minimize this problem we must explore literature and find out the most important thing needed to design important features in GUI interface development.
In order to investigate the usability and effectiveness of user-interface features, some research had make among non-technical person that intended to help these autism problems in relation to the interface features with the users. The thing that we mostly focus on users is about the way of interface interact to them, either it is user friendly or not. Are they experienced difficulties in the use of this user-interface in explore the information for the first time, and we also focus on the characteristics/background of the interface that going to be develop in order to know either this problem also will bring an influences for them to explore the ability of this user-interface or not.
Aim
To develop a GUI of a robot based on the internet platform using the suitable programming language that can interfacing each other with network and database so that the user can be easily interact with the robot using the module that provided for the therapy process.
Objectives
In this research the main objective that we should accomplish are to develop graphical user interface (GUI) that can be used by the non-technical person to access the network and database of robot-based interaction program for children with autism. The development should have included the simple and attractive GUI interface with the compact important features to avoid users from making a mistake due to getting a module from database website to help them in the therapy process.
Besides that, other objective that has to be achieve are exploration of literature regarding development of GUI for robotic application and then create simple modules of interaction for children with autism using humanoid robot NAO.
Scope and Limitation
In this project, the research is all about the interactions between the child, therapists, and humanoid robot NAO in an effort to help the autistic children treatment. The focus subjects are to the autistic children with their age attempts in between 6 and 12 years old and involved with these disorder ability since they are born because some of them can be identified with this symptom when they are at about 3 years old.
In the development of the GUI interface the most things that have to be focus are on the users with or without technical knowledge about the software including therapist, parent and etc. Besides that for the programming language the most suitable language that can be used for this moment are PHP and for the GUI design and creation the software used are MySQL and adobe Photoshop including the adobe Dreamweaver for the web editor.
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
Before we start research the thing that we considers as the important are about the selection of the literature review that bring us to the right path of the research which is included the past research journals, magazines and also books. The review has to be related to the main topic of the research which is about the interactions between the child, therapists, and humanoid robot NAO in order to help the ASD children treatment and then has to develop a good GUI interface using all the information gathered. In this development we have to make sure it is interfacing each other with the network and database sources that were constructed by other members. In this chapter we will cover the area of Autism, Robotic, and Therapy and also about the Graphical user interface.
Autism
For the first section of review of the autism, there is lots of important information that we gathered about the autism that in a way helps the research. In this research the main target is to help the autistic children treatment with assist of the humanoid robots which are currently use NAO robot as the main tool. There will be some explanation will be covered in this section about the autism.
What is autism?
The term of autism are already used since 100 year ago. This word is come from the Greek word 'autos' where it's mean 'self'. This term are used to mention the personal characteristics of person with this ability where always by themselves all the time without making a social interaction with others. In 1908, Eugen Bleuler was using this term for patients with symptoms of schizophrenia where the symptoms are slightly same as autism. Then the psychiatrist from America, Leo Kanner began to use the term of 'autism' for the children that he studied where to explain the behaviour of the children which is got a problem with the social interaction. After that, Hans Asperger was written about a group of children he called autistic psychopaths because the children he studied are resembled with what characteristic of the child describe by Leo Kanner. But for the case that he studies the most of the patient that are among of the person that got the ability same as the autistic person, but in term of the intelligence they generally got the normal as others person and for language development are near to the normal person. In the other word it can be describe that this person are better than person with the autism in their ability function. From that he named the symptom as the Asperger's syndrome [1] [2][3].
Not everyone knows these kind of symptom even though it already existed long time ago. It is some kind of brain developmental disability. Mostly this symptom will effect to person's normal brain function and also the communication include social interaction skill that supposed to be needed for themselves for facing all the challenge in their whole life. People with this ability mostly got difficulties with communication and social skills and they also have unusual behaviours and interests. Because of these difficulties, person with autism got a problem with getting a friend and also to communicate with another person. Everything what their want to share is difficult to understand or reach by the normal person unless they already expose by the therapy that train them to communicate.
Usually this special ability can be detected when the obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism appear to the individual when their age attempt in between 2 and 3 years [4]. From the latest report of Health Ministry the roughly estimated of the children with autism born are one in 1000 children in Malaysia and the result shown that four times more likely to affect boys compared to girls [5]. Autism is the permanent symptom that cannot be removed as their wanted. For this moment there are not suitable cure that can be used for them. But for them to overcome or adapt the challenge that have to faced they must go through with the earlier diagnosis, therapies, and interventions from person that have the experience with this treatment such as therapist. All this method is needed in order to reduce symptoms and increase skills and abilities of the person with this special ability.
There are lots of therapies that can be applied to them, so that they can learn and then can adapt the entire learning thing in their routine life time. Some therapies that can be applied are social skill therapy, physical therapy, play therapy, speech therapy, developmental therapies and etc. Most of this therapy can be describe as the best treatment especially for the person with autism; most of the research that applied this therapy treatment for the patient mostly got the positive feedback compared with negative feedback. Patient that got through with the therapy mostly at least got a little improvement in their ability and also in the social interaction with other person.
Symptoms[6]
In this section will be discussed about the symptoms of the autism. There is several kind of disability that can be recognized in person with autism, practically there are some common symptoms that can be appears for the person with this ability such as:
Social Interaction/Skills
Blind blades mac os. For the autistics person the most difficulties that faced by them are in the social interaction skills. While they interact with other persons, they will be faced a problem in understanding or using the social expression like an eye contact, facial expression, gesture and etc. to make an interaction. This problem can be detected since they in early age. This problem not only gives a problem to them but also to the person surround that want to interact with them. The social problem that happened to the person with autism mainly will bring difficulties for them in sharing what they have learned or what they feel. That behaviour makes them difficult in getting a friend or maintaining the friendships among them or with others. Besides that in term of body contact, mostly they will resistance to being cuddling or touched like normal person unless that person are closes enough to them such as their parent or siblings. As for person with autism they prefer to be alone in they own world rather than being disturbed by others that makes their quality life distracted.
Communication
Communication skills are related to the language development of someone. The ability is depending on the social and also intellectual development. This kind of disturbing happen to them because of the normal brain function affected by this symptom .For the person with autism this sign are normally happened to them. This is one of the sign actually appear or recognized for the person with autism when their age reach 3 years old. They will get problems in verbal and non-verbal communication because of them lack in speech development. In order to communicate with others they mostly will use a simple or incomplete sentence. They will face problems in starting or maintaining a conversation because of difficult in understanding the language that used while making interaction.
Kevin vs. non-cubers mac os. Sometime for person with autism they will use the repetitive language pattern that usually have no meaning or not related to the conversation topic with others. For the example they count one to five repeatedly or they also repeat the words that they heard over and over as much as they like without thinking the others. This kind of condition scientifically called as echolalia, which means the automatic repeating back the entire thing that is said. The lack of nonverbal communication skill give a lot of problem to this person, they unable to used gesture like a pointing to an object in order to make other person to understand what they try to convey in their speech. Everything that they want to tell mostly cannot be understood by others that make them to make inappropriate behaviours or abnormal use of pitch, intonation, rhythm or stress while speaking. They also got problems in understanding the simple question that given to them or when asked about the direction term.
Behaviour
In term of behaviour the pattern that usually used for person with autism are also repetitive same as the communication skill problems. All the activities that they done mostly in repetitive way where they will concentrate on the activity such as flapping arm , spinning the object over and over again. They usually fascinated with the rotation object like a wheel on the toy car. The autistics person usually have an obsession with objects, they like to make varied kind of collection like a bottle, box and etc. as their habits. The obsession with the difference object are the common thing that happened to the person with the autism, it seem like a complicated habits but in their routine the thing that they chance still be repeated as same as before and that is the most valuable time for them that cannot be change as we like, if that happen they will become upset or angry. Besides that they also like to rearrange and line up thing that they collected over and over. If that happen it could make them to do an inappropriate behaviours such as abnormal use of pitch or others unpredictable thing that can cause injury. Besides that they also have difficulties in changing or transferring their activity from one area to another, because of the complicated habits that done in their routine.
Robotics
The terms of robot first used in public are in 1920 by Karel Čapek in the science fiction play named R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word of robot actually from the Czech language 'Robota' which means servitude or forced labour where they done the entire thing that being instructed to them by their master [7]. After that the words of 'automaton' or 'android' have being replaced by this new term for in the language usage all around the world [7][8].
In 1942 the rules of three laws for the robotics have being introduced by Isaac Asimov in the science fiction of short story entitle 'Runaround'. The three laws that he mentioned firstly are about the robot not gave any harm to human being through its action. Second law are the robot are obeying all the instruction or orders that given to it by the human being as long as the instructions are not overlapped with the first law. And the last law that he mentioned the robot should protect its owns existence while its can except where the protection are not break the first and second laws that have being mentioned in his writing. From the laws that have being introduced and many improvements had made in his stories , then he start to make an alteration and elaboration the original laws for the further development on how robots can interact with humans or each other's. Then he's come up with the fourth or zeroth law where the laws described that the robot must not harm humanity.
Nowadays there are lots of task that given to the robot to do the jobs in many field which is in the industrial robots, domestic or household robots, medical robots, service robots, military robots, entertainment robots, space robots and lastly in the field of hobby and competition robots [9]. Besides that the group of robot also can be divided in to the group based on the function and design that makes it making a task whether it is able to move or not, big or small. Each of them can be dividing into [10];
Mobile Robots where it is usually can perform the task that cannot be done by human either that area cannot be reach or that place are dangerous. The mobile robot can be categories into two which is Rolling Robots and Walking Robots.
Stationary Robots also one of the types that can be discussed, the robot are not just used to do the task for the human to explore areas and also use to imitate a human behaviour that can make a perform the repetitive task that supposed to be done by the human without moving an inch. Because of the human got a limit in performed a jobs. By then the imitative robot are really useful for that kind of jobs because robot never grows tired, it will perform its duty day and night without ever complaining.
Autonomous Robots are the robot that can perform the task without a supporting from human being. The word supporting here are means that the robot actually got its own brain that can be rely on while doing the task. The robot runs programs that give them the opportunity to them in performing the best solution or action depended on the surrounding. They can learn on how to walk and avoid obstacles that block their movement.
Remote-control Robots are the autonomous robot where the memory and the brain capacity are limited. That needed in order to perform a complicated task that cannot be performing by the normal autonomous robot. The complicated task are still be perform by the human being where have the real brain power in order to control the robot like a denote a bomb in the military areas.
Virtual Robots are just a programs where can make a simulation of the real robot or performing the repetitive task controlled by the software in the computer. The virtual robots are the special robot that developed in order to generating the searching of the World Wide Web. Most of the virtual robots are countless in the internet that crawling from site to site where they collect the information on the websites and sending the information to the search engines.
Robotics are the system where produced by the human kind that can move by themselves. All the action that allowed them to move is influenced by the helps of the programming systems or electronic circuitry [10][11]. The robotic systems are component or device that can move around in the environment and making interactions either social or physical. The robot can cause the physical interaction through actuation action and then it can take an effect from the physical interaction by measuring using the sensing. The actuation and sensing element are the important element that needed for the robot to make them to control its mechanical body. With the controller component that possess by the robot it can helps the robot to do some sub activities such as modelling, regulating and planning like mention in [11]. For the robot it should have the characteristic [12];
Sensing is the most important characteristic for the robot to enable them to sense the surroundings. To make the robot the sense ability it should equipped with sensors such as light sensors, touch and pressure sensors and many more that can help the robot aware with its environment. For the Movement characteristics is needed in order to give an opportunities for the robot to move around its environment whether rolling on wheel or any method that could help it's to move. In term of energy, as the robot it is the important sources that needed to determine its lifetime. Robot needs to be able to power itself by many ways such as solar powered, electrically powered, battery powered that depend on the purpose of the robot developed. Snipes mac os. And the last important characteristic that needed for the robot is Intelligence. The intelligent of the robot are depending on the programming systems that enters the platform. A programmer is the person who gives the robot its 'smarts.' The robot will have to have some way to receive the program so that it knows what it is to do. There lots of improvement in the robotics systems had make nowadays in effort to help human life style. The development of the humanoid robot with autonomous and semi- autonomous robot are the famous research that make in order to improve the interaction relationship in between the robot and human being.
Humanoid Robot
Humanoid robot is one of the autonomous robots where it placed in that categorize because of its ability which are the same as the autonomous ones. Beside the ability what makes the humanoid robot special because of the design of the body or the outer appearance that look like just like mare human. All the characteristics that possessed on human are also it's got even though it just a simple one. To become the humanoid robot the developer not needed to equip the robot with all the part that human possess like a head , arm ,legs and others, but when the robot just have one of the part it's also can be called as the humanoid robot as long as it look like a human. What make the humanoid robot differ than the others robots are the capability of the robot to make an interaction either with human or each other.
Same as the normal robot, the humanoid robot also needed the same components or part in order to function. The parts that it's needed are the actuator, sensors, body and also programing that became the most important thing that controls the robot. Each of the parts is needed for the different functions. For the example we take the sensor, the sensor are the devise that used in the body of the robots. There are many kinds of sensor that attach in the robot such as pressure and touch sensor, light sensors, sonar sensors and many more. All the sensor are used so that the robot could sense the dangers or the obstacles that appears when they got involved to the environment and then all the sense that detected will be send to the software which is programs or in other words the intelligent of the robot that created by the programmer then makes a decision to perform the solution.
The design of these kind of robot like a human being make people that want to interact with it feel save comfortable either for the young or the elders. The latest design of the humanoid robot are focused on the interaction had make between the robot and the human. The term for this interaction are called as the human robot interaction (HRI). The way of the interaction are improved by time to time that makes the interaction between them become more enjoyable like having a normal interaction with a person.
The human studies of the HRI are related to the relationship on the human and also the robot and also the reaction that give influences each other while interacting. The robot especially a humanoid robot that developed with the HRI are really important and have a higher potential in the therapy session that can be used as the tool to train or teach the normal or the special person that got the a problems in the brain functions like a person with autism in order to help them in understanding and detect the emotion that created and also to develop the social human behaviours that cannot be reach by themselves [13]. Nowadays there are lots of the researches conducted in order to create the humanoid robot for many areas purpose like academics, entertainment, research and many more. For the case study that we created, the humanoid robot that used is the NAO where the potential of the robot that we see as the best from the other developed robot for a moment for the robot therapy that give to children with autism.
NAO[14]
The humanoid robot that widely used for this moment is NAO, most of them recently are used in the research and academic included the developer purpose. In this section we will discuss on the NAO robot. NAO are one of the humanoids robots which are the autonomous types. NAO is the humanoid that possess with the head, arms, legs and others part that make its looks like a little boys. The height of the NAO is about 23 inches with the actuator and the motors that connected each part of the body that make it can move freely with the 25 degrees of freedom (DOF). This robot consists of many sensors that make it functioned well like a pressure and tactile sensors, sonar rangefinder for distance estimation, Information Retrieval (IR) emitters and receivers.
The frequency of the central processing unit (CPU) that used in the NAO is 1.6 gigahertz where the manufacturer used the processor from the Intel Company named as Intel Atom. Same as the computer the robot also needed the operating system (OS) to control the NAO programs, for the NAO the compatible OS is Linux, Windows and Mac OS. The needed of the power supply are really important for the robot to operating, so that the NAO robot are used the power supply from the 27.6-watt-hour battery that can be varies by the usage, setting and operating condition, for the active use the robot can sustain until an hour, while 90 minutes for normal use, depending on the usage.
Figure 2.1 NAO Robots with the Part Names [14]Besides that what makes this robot special it is because it have the ability to communicate with the person thanks to the built-in speaker and voice synthesizer device that acts as communication device of the robots that use to recognize and track voice and sounds. Meanwhile for the talking abilities the microphones are used. And for the eyes the NAO robot are supported with the cameras that used to recognize faces and objects, besides used to track and analyse its surrounding. To make the eyes of the robot function correctly to detect faces or the object the sets of algorithms had been used that construct in the platform that control the NAO. For the programming language that use in the interfacing purposes compatible language that can be use are C++, Python, Urbi, and etc. that depend on the users that has to be suitable or compatible with the OS platform.
The NAO robot is equipped with the tactile sensors that installed at two of its body parts which are on the head and also at the both hands that use for user to give the command when by touch it. These sensors also can be set as the shut off button when the user placing their hand on the NAO robot or the button to start the module that uploaded to the NAO. Besides that in order to avoid the obstacle or something that will blocking the robot ways the manufacturer already placed the two transmitters and receivers each on NAO body so that it can identify the distances of surrounding objects within 70 centimetres of distance.
The humanoid robot NAO not a statics robot that just stay on the one spot then making jobs, but NAO is the robot where can make a movement and walk around like a human's with not a straight but also others movement because of the sensors and also the actuator joint with the certain degree of freedom used in the NAO construct that makes it stable to walk on many different surfaces.
The NAO robot also compatible with the network connections which is Wi-Fi and Ethernet that makes NAO to connect with the network wherever it placed either at home or other places as long as that place are supplies with the network connectivity. With this connectivity the NAO robots will be supplies with the up to date information such as the weather forecast or the using the software converting the language used that directly connected to the internet while communicate.
Beside the Wi-Fi and Ethernet the NAO also equipped with infrared connection where it can be used for the special task that given to the such as turn off the television with its owns infrared connection and also to control other device that equipped with the infrared connections that can be done based on the tasks that given to them by programmer. In term if task, for the NAO system can be control by using the special software that provided by the manufacturer called as NAO Choregraphe Module that can be used to set the movement or the tasks for the NAO that want to creates likes a sing a song, move with other gestures and others. All of the task are depends on the programmer that creates the programming for them.
Figure 2.2: NAO's Choregraphe ModuleAssistive Robotics(AR)
The applications of Assistive Robotics are widely used in order to investigate the application of the robotics with their involvement in the field health care and education. These investigations are important to achieve the best procedure solution to recovery for persons with impairments due to various diseases especially related to the brain function like autism.
The assistive robotics is focus on developing robotic aids for supporting independent persons who have chronic or degenerative limitations and also who got problems with brain disabilities as therapy and supportive tools [15]. AR are related to many application areas that already being exposed by the past researcher in effort to improve human comfort.
From the study that conducted by Mason and Christensen [16] mentioned that assistive robot are developed from different application areas in order help human for their life such as:
Manufacturing-In this area the robotics systems are widely deployed for the manufacturing process. Most of the factory using this technology for them to improve the production rate of the product. They always make research for continues to advance by develop new fundamental approach in the technology of the robotics. Every day there are always new development are obtained.
Medical and healthcare are commonly used of the Assistive Robotics for the patient especially in term of Recovery and Rehabilitation. The patients that usually involve in this kind of treatment are the one that got the problems with the physical disability. The robot will assist them with the suitable method that can be applied to them by the aids of the robot till the progress achieved. Beside that the other researches also mention that this area also covered the application of mobility problems and also used for elder care [17][16].
Service-in general the services are that used the robotics assistive is in both professional and domestic services. Professional service usually used robots in logistics, agriculture, cleaning, and also mining sector but for the Domestic service robots can perform tasks where humans regularly perform around their homes such as vacuuming, gardening, mowing the lawn and pool maintenance [18].
Socially Robot (SR)
Socially Robot (SR) is term that used in order to describe the social interaction that involved in between robot and human. This term are first used by the researcher to make studies of describing robot which is following human social characteristic such as embodiment, emotion, communication, and etc. [19]. SR are operates or given task as the partner or assistance for the human to communicate or making interaction.
By refer to the research done by Dautenhahn and Billard, they mentioned that Social interactive robots can be defined as the agents that can interact with each other and also environment then interpret the world in terms of their own experience that their possess, they stands for explicitly Communicate with and learn from each other[20].
Socially Assistive Robotics(SAR)
Based on the study that had done by Seifer and Mataric, the Socially Assistive Robot (SAR) is defining as the intersection between the Assistive Robot and Socially Robot. SAR and AR are similar in term of assist, but for the detailed SAR is more to the social than physical interaction. Meanwhile in the perspective of the social interaction SAR is more similar to SR in term of their focus, which is to develop and also create an interaction with a user in purpose to give assistance especially in the field of treatment [21].
Nowadays these kinds of interaction are concerned especially for the person that doesn't have an effort or energy to help them including in process of recovery and rehabilitation. For this study we focused the SAR on helping the autistic children where got a problem in their brain development. It is because some of these children are showing their enthusiasm and mimicking character when their face or go through interaction with the robot [22]. SAR in this case can be used as assist for the user to improve the mental health of child by reducing stress, loneliness and depression that happened to them [23]. As mentioned before the SAR is only making a social rather than physical interaction. This can give the best opportunity for to develop the interaction between human and robot without giving harm while interacts with the robot. The developments of the SAR are widely improved and popular in the research area such as the robotics, medicine, neuroscience and etc.
The SAR developments are firstly used in order to help elderly by constructing robot-pet companion for them to help in reducing depression and stress [24]. The SAR are really beneficially not only for the elderly but it also can be useful to everybody include individuals with physical impairments, person that goes through the rehabilitation therapy and also for the individuals that got the problems with brain disorder by using them as the tools or medium for therapy, training and also can be used as the special education. The SAR are really part to create when involved the interaction with the human, there a lots of possibilities has to be consider before it been constructed. In the paper that done by David Feil-Seifer and Maja J Matarić [25], they have taken several core of ethics principle that establish for the medical to be implement in the SAR development. The ethics principles that have being discussed are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice where they try to examines either its affect the applications of SAR. For the robot the appearances are really important to get a higher expectation from people that interact with it, human-like appearance are the better for them [24].
David Feil-Seifer did mentioned that the ways of children with autism and robots are different compared with the interaction them with person or toys [26][27]. But the problem that occur from this interaction is that the respond that given by the robot while interacting to the kids. He did also mention that this kind of interaction is the challenging problems to make the robot to understand the behaviour of the child with autism. There are a lots of development had make in the robotics development in order to find the solution on this problems. To resolve this problem the research had make among the researchers and enable them to used fully autonomous robots for interact with any children especially children with autism by focusing on the free-form behaviour that showed by children.
The interaction that make in between child and robot can become as a therapeutic aid that can help people especially children with autism. The therapy should be aimed for them in order to develop and improve their ability while interacting. The aims of the therapy are to encourage of the turn-taking behaviour, human-human and human –robot interaction and also aims for getting or detecting children distress [27]. Autistics child characteristic are different compare to normal children, not all of them can accept the behaviour of the robot that interact with them. In the studies paper made by David Feil-Seifer mentioned that for the autistics child there were specific morphological and behaviour of the robot are annoying and distracting for them. From there they to find new methods by detecting automatically the negative behaviour of the child then minimize distress experienced by giving the properly response while interacting with robot.
Robot and Autism.
In order to make a connection between these humanoid and autistics children for the treatment, the research that we conducted had consider all possibility and also the consequences that can be happen during the treatment because of the condition of the autistics children which is differ with the normal child on their characteristics. The used of the robot as the tools to assistive children with autism are really useful and got its own potential in the treatment because some of them will show their behaviour while interacting with the robot [28]. For the person with autism the social interaction with the robot is more suitable compared interaction with people in term of behaviour. It is because for them people's social behaviours are hard to predict and also confusing compared to the robot behaviour which is always can be control and be managed according to the instruction given to them with precisely[28][29]. In this section we will take a look for the several researches that conducted by the past researcher that using robot as the tool to give a therapy to the autistics person and also that research that make the most precious discovery related to the therapy session that used the robot assistive. From the finding there will be some info that can be used that can help in the current research that we conduct.
The robotic systems are firstly used in the treatment for the autism since 1976 by Sylvia Weir and Ricky Emanuel using a mobile turtle-like robot named LOGO at university of Edinburgh [30]. Since then, these methods of treatment become most famous topic that chosen by the student in university for their research to develop and improve this method of treatment till now. Their comes up with differences and new development from all the research that already developed and all the data that collected in their research has become a reference for the next generation to improve and also develop new research. The LOGO robots are used to encourage communication skill on the person they studied which is seven years old boys with symptoms of autism. The research reported that its give a positive result based on the respond that child with the robot. Even though the project are not directly give an interaction with the robot and not operated autonomously, but from this research of studies it give a hopes that this kind of treatment can give a new path for the next generation researcher to develop the new improvement by using the robot as the medium tools to gives therapy for the person with autism [30].
The research had made by Hideki Kozima and Cocoro Nakagaw using the robot called as KEEPON to interact with the child. The research conducted to prove that the interaction between children with autism and robot are difference depends on the individual age. From the research they obtained, the result shown that mostly child that age below 1 year they make an interaction with the robot only by using hands and mouth and did not care about the robot ability. But for the child with age 1year old they make an interaction with the robot based on the robot attentive and emotive actions. And the research on 2 year old child shows that they want to create a social interaction with the robot by showing something to them and also make a body contact with it [22]. This research also show the improvement of the autistic children when they interact with the robot. Mostly they showed to their trainers what they have learned. This become most important finding that will be used or implemented for the research and then applied the suitable module or task that given to the robot in order to interact based on age of the person that become our subject.
Figure 2.3: KEEPON [22]
Then the research of therapy also use the application of robot named as ROBOTA. It is one of the humanoid robot dolls that small in size with around 45 cm in high. The main body of the doll are covered with the electronic board with the motor that drive the legs, arms and also for the head its move by using one degree of freedom. Mainly this robot are used for develop children in movement, music and speech. The purpose of this study is to improve the social interaction skills and imitation ability of the autistic person. The tests have been making with four children with autism. They were exposed repeatedly with the robot that applied the basic imitative and turn-taking games for several months. Along with this test the video of the documenting had been recorded during children make interaction with the robot. From the video that recorded they evaluated the four behavioural criteria including eye gaze, touch imitation and lastly on the position of children with the robot (near). They have comes up with the qualitative and quantitative analysis. From the first analysis which is qualitative analysis on observed all the activity of the children that related to the interaction behaviour, they revealed further aspects of the social skill interaction of the children such as the ability of imitation, eye gaze, touching and else. Besides that, from this analysis they also can indicate the level of communication skill that showed personally by the children based on the recorded video data. For the second analysis it's showed an increase in duration of pre-defined behaviours towards the later trials. In this studies show that the repetitive exposure the humanoid robot will increase the basic interaction social skill of the children.
Figure 2.4: TROY [31]
The next simple design of humanoid robot can be discuss in this paper are the robot called as TROY. It is the robot that can perform the simple and programmable behaviour. It is the simple robot with two arms with four degree of freedom that can make it raised and lowered the arms and other action. The robot also equipped with the 7 inch screen where it presented as the head of the robot where the researcher put the face to display the face expression like sad, happy or other neutral emotions. The robot is designed in order to encourage the imitation and also turn-taking behaviours for the person with autism. In these studies they mentioned that the period the interaction in between the robot and child should not exceed then 20% from the available therapy time. The rest of the time should be the therapy for the child and human interactions [31]. In this case they try to emphasize that the interaction in between the child and robot has to be less than the interaction with a person in process to train. In the research they got the positive result on the low dose robotics treatment for the child with autism in their interaction skills. In the therapy that they conducted they begin the therapy step by step started with the interaction between the child and robot then proceed with the interaction between the child, therapist and the robot and the rest of the 80% of the therapy session is the interaction between human and child. In this case they just used the robot as the tool to help a child to develop social skill.
Figure 2.5: Children with autism interacting with the Labo-1 robot [24]
The next research that used the robot as the tools to encourage the development of children with autism are the mobile robot named as LABO-1. The robot consists of the infrared sensor that act as like a sonar to avoid the obstacle that block the robot from moved and also pyro-electric sensor that used to detect and following the human. The robot movement are very slow to avoid any unpredictable thing from happened to the child. In this research the subject are two children with autism to give social interacting training or therapy. The result of the test showed the positive result when the children give a good response while playing with the robot. The researcher also mentioned that the child played with the robot for the long time and did not scare while interacting with the robot at a close distance [24].
The used of the robot as the medium in helping person with autism are just to help them in develop their abilities and facilitate human contact not to replace them from interact with other person [32]. In this research, the study will be related to the robot therapy where person with autism will be expose with the interaction to the robot where help them to improve the ability. The involved of humanoid robot named NAO are really suitable for the research, it is because of the characteristic as mentioned before are suitable used for the research especially when it interact with the autistic person and also for the normal person. There are researcher mentions that for the autistic children the behaviour of the NAO robot which is repetitive and the movement that has being simplified are really suitable and can help them in training of the social skill [33]. These applications of NAO are really suitable because most of the characteristic are significantly showed that its really consistent with the behaviour of the autistic autism which is cannot faced the complicated thing in during their skills development.
Nowadays there is lots of research that used NAO as the tool to find new development in many areas especially in term of medication or robot therapy. Robot therapy is therapy that used a robot as assistant in the treatment. The ways of the robot used are depend on the purpose of the module or tasks that create by the researcher for the research. The suitable module of the robot should have a justification on why it has to be that way and what going to happen when used in the therapy in order to pull attention person with autism to involve in interaction with the robot. The entire task given for the NAO is really important for the therapy to ensure whether it is succeeded or not in the treatment. The improvement of the task done by the researcher should be improved from time to time in order to create the best task for the NAO for the therapy.
Graphical User Interface ( GUI)
In this section it will be the most important parts that where the reviews are going decided what are the most important thing has to be included in the GUI development that has to be interfacing each other between networking and the database, beside help the user to solve the problem in develop new module or other thing that related to the program for the treatment and then achieve the objective also the aims of the research.
The GUI developments are really important for the user especially to someone with a little knowledge in the computer development. The interface will guide the users through different stages towards the accomplishment of the tasks. The multi-task and difficult interface could bring another problem for the users to improve their skills. In this review it will guide about something that related to the best GUI development for the research.
GUI is the most common thing that we going to use when involve with the machine and human interaction like computer. This interface is really important or became the medium for the human to interact with the machine with more effective. The interaction just involve the use of the picture or images as the button command rather than the texts command that can give the confusion for the beginners or non-technical person that low in the computer knowledge. The entire image or the icons will represent as the action button that available on the GUI application that usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements that make the OS to relocated or find the sources of the command that being done in the text command. GUI are introduced in the reaction of the command loops of the command-line interface (CLI) where required the external equipment like a keyboard to type the command. The commands were only showed the command line interface with numbers and text with the complicated operation that can be completed by using the shortcut by manipulating a symbols or the short sequence of words.
There is a research of the GUI development that has being conducted to prove that the uses of the icons for the instruction are really effective rather than others commands. In that research they have make survey on the 10 people between 20 till 30 years olds that operates the interface that been develop. The result of the surveys showed that the used of the icon or others characters that represent the operation of the application attract users then enhance the usability of the practical GUI's [34]. The best GUI is the ones that have the characteristic of user friendly that makes everybody feel satisfy after using it. The user friendliness can be defined as the interface that will guide the users through stage to another in order to accomplish the tasks, so that users can interact more with the tasks and less with the system [35]. To achieve the user friendliness there are several characteristics that have to be included are [35];
The first thing that have be included in the interface are the design of the interface has to be suitable for everyone and also good looking interface. It really needed so that the user feels it will work better and more confident while using the application. Besides that the users also can feel more satisfied and comfortable with the interface while read the interface with strong contrast between text and background. Besides that the use of the basic words also give an effect on the users interface, users will find an interface to be friendly if it displays information in their native reading direction or in their native language, without using any profession specific terms that not everyone can understand. Accessible also can be the ones of the characteristics should be on the user friendly interface. The interface has to be developing so that everybody can access the interface without having a complicated. A user friendly interface should be built upon the human visual and cognitive capabilities that can be achieved by using knowledge of familiar objects that can makes users find it easier to learn and use. The user interface also has to consistent in style and wordings.
The GUI is divided in to two groups which is computer based and web-based. In this research the GUI that we going to explore are more to the web-based where we have to create a website for the children with the autism, so that everybody could accesses and then can sharing the information that they got from the research that conducted by themselves. There will be the discussion on the related topics on the therapy process of the robot named as NAO with the children with the autism, besides sharing the module that has being created.
In the process of the developing the GUI creation the requirement of the software is needed. In order to design the interface with the user friendly interface all the characteristic has being study through the exploring the review that have make by the past researcher. At this moment the best software that consider as the best in the interface design are Adobe Photoshop where it can be used as the tools in editing the design till the final satisfaction be achieved. But in order to create the website the best software could be use is MySQL. The use of the MySQL software is identify the best tools because of it is the open source software where almost all the website developer are used these software besides it is the freeware software. Then for the programming language the really suitable and compatible with the MySQL are PHP software, where it's also one of the freeware software that easy to obtain. The GUI development for this research will focus on the users with the lack in the knowledge of the computers. Everybody could share the information that they want to share without any problems and then use the information well.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In this chapter will be discussing on the method that used in completing the tasks. From the beginning of the projects it can be see that the ways of constructing the GUI are not the simple thing that can be done from zero. In other to solve the problem that occurs in the beginning of the project this kind of the research methodology are needed the most in order to detect where the problem are comes from and where the project can start over with clearer that could help the beginner like me in creating the web and become more understand and exposed with the experience in constructive the web with more organized and running on the right path to complete the objective of the research. In this section there will be discussion that will make on the schedule that planned on the early semesters that become the guidance for completing the project on the exact time and punctual.
Literature Review
The literature review sections are the most important thing that has to be done in order to get the information on the research that being conducts. From the review all the information will be gathered from the past researcher that makes the useful finding on the related research topics that we can make it as the point to start the research then try to improve the methods that have been used. In gathering the information and knowledge about the related there are a lots of methods used in order to make the research running as planned. The information that we gathered mostly get from the discussion books that been used in the weekly meeting that conducted by the supervisor, so that all the group members could understand what is the research all about. The book that mentioned are Robotics; State of the Art and Future Challenges' from George A. Bekey and ‘Apa itu Autisme?' from K. A. Razhiyah. From both of the book there are lot of description and explanation had makes in the books that contains with the useful information about the robot and also about the autism could be used in the research. Besides that the other resources are from the internet where the explanation on the facts about the both related topics are also the latest information about the autism and also robotics can be obtained.
Project's Flowchart
Figure 3.1: Final Year Project I Flowchart
From the figure above describe about the flow of the project that done on the final year project I (FYPI). The project starts with the normal procedure on getting the topics of the FYP I where the student has to select the suitable topics that based on the topics that listed by the lecturer. From the project title selected, students have to make an agreement with the lecture that conducted the title. If the conformation about the title is running smoothly then we need to proceed to the next stage where we have to fill the form that provided by the faculty about the title that chosen if not the process in searching the title need to repeat till the suitable topic selected. After that meeting with the supervisor had made in order to assign the group and getting the project title. Then the simple explanation about the NAO and robot therapy on the person with autism had been given by the supervisor. Started from there the research about the related topics had made by getting the information that can be used in the literature review. For the information gathering, the most suitable sources that being told by the supervisor are from the past research where can be found in the internet that related to the topics research. The past researcher information can be collected through the journals, theses, abstracts, books, online papers, and also the article that had being publish. After all the information gathered the next stages are precede where the proposal of the research being wrote. Then proceed with the initial presentation on the proposal that made in front of the supervisor and other members. From there lots of improvement had made through the suggestion that gives by the supervisor and the other groups members. Refining the presentation slide with the correction that made by the supervisors. Then so to the next stages where the final presentation been held in front 2 panels where they will give the permission whether the proposal can be proceed or not. If everything is clears then the final proposal report being send to the supervisor.
Figure 3.2: Final Year Project II Flowchart
For the Final year project II begins with developing the modules or task for the NAO by using the software NAO Choregraphe. The module that going to be create has to be suitable for the children with the autism based on the information that gathered. If the module that constructed not properly function then process on repair or construct new ones will be repeated again until the result that obtained satisfied. If the module construct are well perform then proceed to the next stage where the development of the GUI being constructing. In order to makes a test on the GUI that develop another two elements are needed to make the cleared view on the interface that constructed. Another element is network and database where has being constructed by others group members. The test on the three elements will be tested simultaneously to check whether the system is functional or not. If the problems occur during the testing so the troubleshooting process will be done in order to identify the problems. If everything flow like a plan so the project will be considered as successful then the finals report can be wrote then proceed to the final presentation on the result that obtained then the final report will be done to be summited.
Gantt Chart
Figure 3.3: project's Gantt chart
Based on the figure above, it is describing all the activities that being done in order to completing the final year project. For the first activity which is the final year project title search and registration.as the planned schedule this activity should being done for the first weeks for the FYP I but because of the unexpected thing that cannot be avoided, so that the registration had been dragged until the fourth week of the FYP I then followed with the other activities that done as being mentioned on the figure 3.3 above. For the literature review the activities that we planned will be continued till the next semesters because of the information that we gains from time to times are really important even if the information that we gather just a little. For the activities of presentation and progress had being conduct in every meeting that attended ones in a week with the presentation of the journal that found and also the books that mentioned on the reviews that will be done until the end of the research. Then proceed with the final proposal presentation and also proposal submission to the supervisor.
In the FYP II, the first activity that was module constructs and also at the same times the development of the GUI construction being done. The time that we planned for the construction is half of the semester because of the experiences and also the knowledge that we possesses are not enough for the short period. Then for another half of the semesters are focus on the testing, troubleshooting and evaluation from the NAO's user. If nothing blocking the plan that we schedule then we proceed with the final presentation of the project and report submission.
Echolalia Mac Os 11
CHAPTER IV
Echolalia Mac Os Catalina
CONCLUSION
This final year project I is one of the starting point of the research that had been conducted in this semester that has to be continue for the next semester in the final year project II that will be construction of the web-based graphical user interface (GUI) by followed all the information that gathered in the first semester of the final year project. For the first semester all of the problems statement and also the objective of the research had been determined through the discussion had makes with supervisors and also group members in order to provide the goals for the project that wants to be achieved. For the current semesters, all the needed information for the project are already collected through the literature that collected from the past researcher based on the related topics of the project which is about the children with autism, robot therapy, GUI development and etc. Most of the information is collected on the journals that published and also the books that provided the helpful information for the project. From this project of the first semesters MySQL and PHP are programs that had been identified as the best to develop a web-based GUI at this moment including the adobe Dreamweaver for the web editor and used of the adobe Photoshop as the web designer software.
Echolalia Mac Os Catalina
In the next semester of the final year project will be precede with the construction of the GUI according to all of the objective provided in this semester. The GUI need to be interfacing each other's with the network and also the database that construct by others group members that makes the modules that could be implemented to the humanoid robot NAO could be successfully stored (upload) and retrieved (download) from the database, either for the same or different users at different places, anywhere, as long that there is available internet access and also connection. And also the non-technical users giving the goods feedback based on the usability of the web-based GUI that constructed.
