Meet the Robots Changing the Face of Autism Therapy

In Part 1 of a four-part series, we explore disability in the digital age: how tech is offering new solutions, and new questions, for the future of human interaction. In a recorded therapy session, humanoid robot Kaspar blankly bats his large, round eyes at a young autistic boy. The boy timidly tickles Kaspar's feet, then flashes an ecstatic grin when the robot says, "This is nice. Ben Robins, a Kaspar researcher at Hertfordshire University in southern England, hopes that such modest breakthroughs could help children on the autism spectrum learn to socialize. "Every autistic child is so different, but most open up to robots," says Robins.