Jelle Saldien

Bio: Jelle Saldien is an academic researcher from Ghent University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social robot & Robot. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 38 publications receiving 919 citations. Previous affiliations of Jelle Saldien include Babeș-Bolyai University & Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Using the social robot probo as a social story telling agent for children with ASD

Abstract: This paper aims to study the role of the social robot Probo in providing assistance to a therapist for robot assisted therapy (RAT) with autistic children. Children with autism have difficulties with social interaction and several studies indicate that they show preference toward interaction with objects, such as computers and robots, rather than with humans. In 1991, Carol Gray developed Social Stories, an intervention tool aimed to increase children’s social skills. Social stories are short scenarios written or tailored for autistic individuals to help them understand and behave appropriately in social situations. This study shows that, in specific situations, the social performance of autistic children improves when using the robot Probo, as a medium for social story telling, than when a human reader tells the stories. The robot tells Social Stories to teach ASD children how to react in situations like saying “hello”, saying “thank you” and “sharing toys”. The robot has the capability of expressing emotions and attention via its facial expressions and its gaze. The paper discusses the use of Probo as an added-value therapeutic tool for social story telling and presents the first experimental results. Keywords: social robot; ASD children; social story; robot assisted therapy

Expressing Emotions with the Social Robot Probo

Abstract: Probo is a huggable animal-like robot, designed to act as a social interface. It will be used as a platform to study human robot interaction (HRI) while employing human-like social cues and communication modalities. The robot has a fully actuated head, with 20 degrees of freedom, capable of showing facial expressions and making eye-contact. The basic facial expressions are represented as a vector in the 2-dimensional emotion space based on Russel’s circomplex model of affect (Posner et al. in Dev. Psychopathol. 17(03):715–734, 2005). The recognition of the underlying emotions based on the robot’s facial expressions were tested in different user studies and compared with similar robotic projects. This paper describes the concepts of the robot Probo and the ability to express emotional states.

On the Design of the Huggable Robot Probo

Abstract: Nowadays robots are being created that interact with human beings in order to satisfy certain social needs. Following this trend, the development of the social robot Probo has started. The robot will be used in hospitals, as a tele-interface for entertainment, communication and medical assistance. Therefore, it requires the ability to express emotions. In order to do so, an emotional interface is developed to fully configure the display of emotions. These emotions -represented as a vector in an emotion space- are mapped to the degrees of freedom used in the robot. Besides emotions, the interface includes a control for the point of attention and a module to create and store animations. A 3D virtual model is created, acting as a virtual replica of the robot, providing realistic visual feedback to evaluate the design choices for the facial expressions. This paper presents the objectives of this new robot and describe the concepts and design of the first prototype.

Understanding mental workload: from a clarifying concept analysis toward an implementable framework

Abstract: The growing need for mental workload (MWL) optimization on the shop floor yields an impressive increase in theoretical and applied references to the concept of mental workload (Young et al. in Ergonomics 139:1–17, 2014). However, do we really understand and agree upon what mental workload exactly is? Does it include emotional load? Can we rely upon an explanatory framework? The present account first runs a critical concept analysis on mental workload, based on the Walker and Avant (Strategies for theory construction in nursing, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2011) method. Results show that existing definitions and theoretical accounts arbitrarily include and exclude defining variables and describe these variables on various levels of abstraction, misuse pivotal terms such as mediation and moderation and do not theoretically explicitate the role of yet repeatedly operationalized emotional load variables such as frustration. We therefore clarify the concept by disentangling MWL into its antecedents, defining attributes and consequences. Next, we derive a clear-cut conceptual definition and present a generic explanatory framework—the latter extended with insights from Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller in Cogn Sci 12:257–285, 1988; Learn Instr 4:295–312, 1994). We conclude with a set of suggestions for future research and practice. Next to contributing to the theoretical clarification of this hallmark concept, the concept analysis and derived explanatory framework, as proposed, can foster solid research practices and support practitioners in contextualizing MWL-assessment and in effectively optimizing MWL.

Can the social robot probo help children with autism to identify situation-based emotions? A series of single case experiments

Abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorders have difficulties in identifying situation-based emotions, which is a fundamental ability for mind reading. Social robots received increased attention as assisting tools for improving the social and emotional skills of children with autism. This study investigates whether the social robot Probo can help children with autism spectrum disorders to enhance their performance in identifying situation-based emotions. Three participants (age between 5 and 6) diagnozed with autism spectrum disorders were included in a single case AB experimental design, with intersubjects replications. The results show that children's performance improved with moderate to large effect sizes in identifying both sadness and happiness. Based on these results, we intend to perform more extensive investigations regarding the effectiveness of robot assisted therapy in improving social-emotional abilities for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Compliant actuator designs

Abstract: In the growing fields of wearable robotics, rehabilitation robotics, prosthetics, and walking k robots, variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) or adjustable compliant actuators are being designed and implemented because of their ability to minimize large forces due to shocks, to safely interact with the user, and their ability to store and release energy in passive elastic elements. This review article describes the state of the art in the design of actuators with adaptable passive compliance. This new type of actuator is not preferred for classical position-controlled applications such as pick and place operations but is preferred in novel robots where safe human- robot interaction is required or in applications where energy efficiency must be increased by adapting the actuator's resonance frequency. The working principles of the different existing designs are explained and compared. The designs are divided into four groups: equilibrium-controlled stiffness, antagonistic-controlled stiffness, structure-controlled stiffness (SCS), and mechanically controlled stiffness.

Self-healing soft pneumatic robots

Abstract: Inspired by the compliance found in many organisms, soft robots are made almost entirely out of flexible, soft material, making them suitable for applications in uncertain, dynamic task environments, including safe human-robot interactions. Their intrinsic compliance absorbs shocks and protects them against mechanical impacts. However, the soft materials used for their construction are highly susceptible to damage, such as cuts and perforations caused by sharp objects present in the uncontrolled and unpredictable environments they operate in. In this research, we propose to construct soft robotics entirely out of self-healing elastomers. On the basis of healing capacities found in nature, these polymers are given the ability to heal microscopic and macroscopic damage. Diels-Alder polymers, being thermoreversible covalent networks, were used to develop three applications of self-healing soft pneumatic actuators (a soft gripper, a soft hand, and artificial muscles). Soft pneumatic actuators commonly experience perforations and leaks due to excessive pressures or wear during operation. All three prototypes were designed using finite element modeling and mechanically characterized. The manufacturing method of the actuators exploits the self-healing behavior of the materials, which can be recycled. Realistic macroscopic damage could be healed entirely using a mild heat treatment. At the location of the scar, no weak spots were created, and the full performance of the actuators was nearly completely recovered after healing.