IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2019 - 48

Conclusions
This article discussed the design of a custom animated
character having a diverse set of emotional expressions.
The emotions were simple yet meaningful and expressive.
The character design was extended to an iPod-based
mobile robotic platform that leveraged its embodiment to
allow for the expression of each emotion as a combination
of facial expressions, physical movements, and sound
effects, making it well suited for use with children with
ASD. A novel emotional-interaction framework was also
developed, the feasibility of which was validated through a
user study. Our findings indicate that this tool has the
potential to perform some important functions, including
engaging in empathetic emotional interactions, helping
with ER, and even priming higher levels of user focus and
engagement for given tasks.
Acknowledgments
This research was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health under grant 5 R01 HD082914-04 through the
National Robotics Initiative program.
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Hifza Javed, Department of Biomedical Engineering, George
Washington University, Washington, D.C. Email: hifzajaved@
gwu.edu.
Chung Hyuk Park, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Email:
chpark@gwu.edu.

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IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2019