Robotics developer helps studying autistic children

This from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, photo by Robin Rombach:

Marek Michalowski's favorite robot looks like an oversized Easter peep that can bust some moves.



His name is Keepon, and he is best known as the star of a YouTube video -- dancing to an infectious tune by the rock group Spoon -- that has been viewed more than 2 million times. But Keepon is much more than a disco robot.

In the hands of Mr. Michalowski, a Ph.D. student in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, and his mentor, Hideki Kozima of Miyagi University in Japan, Keepon is also being used to study how children interact socially, and whether the robot might particularly be able to help children with autism...

Carnegie Mellon roboticist Marek Michalowski explains how he studies basic communication and the special problems of children with autism, using the rhythmic magic of his tiny yellow robot here.