Robot ZORA in rehabilitation and special education for children with severe physical disabilities: a pilot study.
Renée J F van den Heuvel, Monique A S Lexis, Luc P de Witte
PMID 28837499WHAT IT FOUND
Therapists and educators rated individual goals as easier after six ZORA robot sessions in 17 children with severe physical disabilities.
Children were seen as playful and liked the sessions, but this pilot cannot show the robot alone caused the change.
Key findings
01The IPPA goal score averaged 11.8 before ZORA sessions and 8.8 after them, and the lower score means goals were rated less difficult.
02Of 60 sessions where children could point to a smiley, 58 were liked, one was missing, and one was doubtful.
03Professionals reported that scanning cards in cognitive games was difficult and pressing sensors could be confusing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot with 17 children and no reported control group, so it cannot show that ZORA caused the goal change. Children were placed in individual or group sessions according to existing schedules, not random allocation. The goals were chosen by each professional and the sessions varied widely, so the intervention was not standard. Some children missed sessions because of illness or absence. Seven children were too young to indicate their feelings with smileys, so professionals interpreted their responses. The playfulness score and goal ratings came from the professionals who delivered the sessions. The researcher controlled the robot and software, so professionals could not assess those usability aspects. A 3 to 6 week period was too short for some children, especially those with lower cognitive levels. The study was done in two institutions in the Netherlands, so results may not apply elsewhere.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower goal score as proof that ZORA alone improves therapy or education goals. The study was a pilot, the professionals chose the scenarios, and the researcher controlled the robot, so other parts of the session could explain the change.