Growing up with autism in an environment that doesn't understand
the affliction can be really challenging, which is why the
designers at Vanderbilt University created the NAO robot.
Research into sufferers of autism have shown that children with
the affliction have difficulty focusing and interacting with
human educators in mixed environments. On the other hand,
children with autism would be focused on inanimate objects and
robotics for much longer than someone without autism. With that
in mind, the NAO robot is packed with cameras, sensors and a
powerful CPU to encourage social development. Unlike a human
being that may get impatient or distracted by the other
children's needs, the NAO robot will help teach social
interaction skills without any of those issues. The NAO robot
also gets around the issue of long waiting lists for specialized
education and learning environments for the autistic. The idea
of the NAO robot, which gives off verbal cues to attract
attention of autistic children is beautiful in its c