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The Introduction of a Robotic Aid to Drawing into a School for Physically Handicapped Children: A Case Study

The Handy Artbox is a robotic system designed to enable severely disabled children with little or no hand or arm movement to draw unaided. A prototype system was constructed at Staffordshire University and tested over a one-month period at a special school in Newcastle, Staffordshire. The aim of the study was to evaluate the Handy Artbox prototype being used in a real life situation in order to determine whether or not it could play a positive role in the education of children with special needs. In conjunction with professionals at the school, three children with cerebral palsy were selected as possible candidates to take part in the study. These children were observed in their classroom situations for one week before they were introduced to the Artbox. From the sample of three children, an 11-year-old boy was chosen to take part in the main trial and evaluation study of the robot. A series of educationally interesting worksheets was developed specifically for use on the Artbox; this was based on exercises and worksheets from English and maths books currently being used at the school. The aim of the main trial and evaluation study was to allow the child to use the Artbox alongside his peers during his usual lesson periods, thus giving him the opportunity of completing his school work with the minimum of assistance. This article reports the observations and findings of this initial pilot study.