Popchilla robot toy might be able to help autistic children

When it comes to teaching kids, the element needed the most would be love – you can have the best tools in the world alongside the most effective method, but if it lacks love, then that’s the end of it. However, if you do have the love to teach children with autism spectrum disorders, but figured out that the current set of tools in your possession are just not adequate enough, here is one way for you to explore – a robot toy known as Popchilla.

Seema Patel, CEO of Interbots, is proud of her company’s latest toy. This robotic stuffed animal that she calls Popchilla will be connected to an app known as Popchilla’s World, and this app will no doubt run on a mobile device. The tiny robot does resemble the chinchilla somewhat, where it is capable of moving around as well as show off relevant facial expressions. The app itself doubles up as a game which will reward the children who play it whenever they pick the right answer.

So far, no peer-reviewed results are available to demonstrate the Popchilla’s effectiveness, but Patel claims that Interbots is looking at a half year study at Carnegie Mellon University.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Robot