An Integrated Neurorobotics Model of the Cerebellar-Basal Ganglia Circuitry.

This work presents a neurorobotics model of the brain that integrates the cerebellum and the basal ganglia regions to coordinate movements in a humanoid robot. This cerebellar-basal ganglia circuitry is well known for its relevance to the motor control used by most mammals. Other computational models have been designed for similar applications in the robotics field. However, most of them completely ignore the interplay between neurons from the basal ganglia and cerebellum. Recently, neuroscientists indicated that neurons from both regions communicate not only at the level of the cerebral cortex but also at the subcortical level. In this work, we built an integrated neurorobotics model to assess the capacity of the network to predict and adjust the motion of the hands of a robot in real time. Our model was capable of performing different movements in a humanoid robot by respecting the sensorimotor loop of the robot and the biophysical features of the neuronal circuitry. The experiments were executed in simulation and the real world. We believe that our proposed neurorobotics model can be an important tool for new studies on the brain and a reference toward new robot motor controllers.

Neuro4PD: An Initial Neurorobotics Model of Parkinson's Disease.

In this work, we present the first steps toward the creation of a new neurorobotics model of Parkinson's Disease (PD) that embeds, for the first time in a real robot, a well-established computational model of PD. PD mostly affects the modulation of movement in humans. The number of people suffering from this neurodegenerative disease is set to double in the next 15 years and there is still no cure. With the new model we were capable to further explore the dynamics of the disease using a humanoid robot. Results show that the embedded model under both conditions, healthy and parkinsonian, was capable of performing a simple behavioural task with different levels of motor disturbance. We believe that this neurorobotics model is a stepping stone to the development of more sophisticated models that could eventually test and inform new PD therapies and help to reduce and replace animals in research.

Neurorobotic Models of Neurological Disorders: A Mini Review.

Modeling is widely used in biomedical research to gain insights into pathophysiology and treatment of neurological disorders but existing models, such as animal models and computational models, are limited in generalizability to humans and are restricted in the scope of possible experiments. Robotics offers a potential complementary modeling platform, with advantages such as embodiment and physical environmental interaction yet with easily monitored and adjustable parameters. In this review, we discuss the different types of models used in biomedical research and summarize the existing neurorobotics models of neurological disorders. We detail the pertinent findings of these robot models which would not have been possible through other modeling platforms. We also highlight the existing limitations in a wider uptake of robot models for neurological disorders and suggest future directions for the field.

Project INSIDE: towards autonomous semi-unstructured human-robot social interaction in autism therapy.

This paper describes the INSIDE system, a networked robot system designed to allow the use of mobile robots as active players in the therapy of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While a significant volume of work has explored the impact of robots in ASD therapy, most such work comprises remotely operated robots and/or well-structured interaction dynamics. In contrast, the INSIDE system allows for complex, semi-unstructured interaction in ASD therapy while featuring a fully autonomous robot. In this paper we describe the hardware and software infrastructure that supports such rich form of interaction, as well as the design methodology that guided the development of the INSIDE system. We also present some results on the use of our system both in pilot and in a long-term study comprising multiple therapy sessions with children at Hospital Garcia de Orta, in Portugal, highlighting the robustness and autonomy of the system as a whole.