A Social Robot for Autism?! Meet Dr. Nazari and QTrobot!

In this talk

1. 1:34

   How QTrobot supports social interaction

   QTrobot uses facial expressions to teach emotion recognition, imitation, and daily living skills such as brushing teeth. Nazari says its design and interactions were developed around the needs of children with autism.

2. 5:02

   Engagement and emotional skills

   Nazari reports that children often pay close attention to QTrobot, appear calmer, and work for longer sessions than with familiar adults. In a seven-session program of about an hour per session, children improved emotional understanding and coping; parents also described examples of children applying those skills and making friends.

3. 10:21

   Activities adapt to children’s progress

   QTrobot’s lessons range from early language and cognitive skills to conversation and empathy. In a vocabulary exercise, it teaches “many” before introducing “few,” then combines the concepts; prompts and positive feedback help children practice after mistakes. Lessons reuse materials across activities to encourage skills to carry into other situations.

4. 18:50

   Home access and family support

   Nazari says LuxAI developed a parent offering after beta testing and observing home use during the pandemic. She described the robot as priced around a laptop, with monthly payments that include curricula, progress monitoring, and an hour of support from specialists who help parents choose activities and practice skills beyond robot sessions.

5. 24:19

   Programs span developmental stages

   Curricula are chosen by developmental level rather than chronological age. Topics range from early learning and daily routines to school greetings, conversation, asking for help, and responding to teasing; Nazari described users from about age two and a half through 18 or 19.