Robot Assistant "PlayROB" - User Trials and Results

Playing is an important part of daily life interactions as well as a substantial and joyful part in the life of children. It can be relaxing, exciting - children can play a role and it is an important possibility to get in touch with other children. In this paper the setup and results of user trials with a dedicated robot are described. The robot system "PlayROB" , developed by the authors, aims to support children with severe physical impairments for interaction with standard toys. Six of such systems have been installed at three Austrian special schools for a long term trials - the results from this two-years field study are discussed in the paper together with a description of future development.