DESIGN OF A ROBOTIC TOY AND USER INTERFACES FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER RISK ASSESSMENT

• Main Authors: Deniz UNCULAR, Selçuk ARTUT
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Istanbul Aydın University 2019-04-01
• Series: The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; interface design; product design; risk assessment; robotic toy; 2d illustration; 3d printing
• Online Access: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/tojdac/issue/44330/547788?publisher=deniz-yengin

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for a spectrum of complex developmentaldisorders resulting in deficits in social communication and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (APA,2013). According to research conducted in 2014, one in every 68 children in the United States isdiagnosed with ASD (Baio, 2014). Despite this observation, it is observed that there is no nationalscreening system in Turkey, and screenings are not conducted systematically (Rakap et al., 2017).Research in the area revealed that individuals with ASD are more interested in interacting withtechnology (e.g. computers, iPad, robots, etc.) than human beings (Fong et al., 2003). This paperincludes research into how to design and use technology to create suitable products for deficits ofASD. With all the concern over the high prevalence ratios of ASD, this study presents themethodology and design of a risk assessment device, which aims to capture the interest of childrenwith ASD aged 3-4, and direct children who score low on the tests towards a diagnosis. The tests in thedevice focus on Theory of Mind (ToM) development and designed to detect differences with ToM testsbetween ASD and Typically Developing (TD) children. In the scope of the paper, 2D illustrations,interface design, and outer shell design of the device are created in compliance with the research datain the field. Finally, outer shell design is 3D printed and surface finishing is completed.