Literary enhancement and physical therapy among children using robotics

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to program a robot that will interact with disabled children by reading stories and having physical therapy routines. The processes currently used to engage children in reading and exercising are monotonous and visually displeasing. A commercial robot, RS Media, manufactured by WowWee Corp., was selected because of its instructiveness, mobility, aesthetics, and programmability. The goal is ultimately to use Linux-based programming to create programs that include text-to-speech software for storytelling and using robot body movements with text-to-speech to create exciting physical therapy routines. The scope of this project is to enhance literacy and physical therapy (exercise) by using this robot as a motivation factor among children.