Toward Evaluation of The Subjective Experience of A General Class of User-Controlled, Robot-Mediated Rehabilitation Technologies for Children with Neuromotor Disability

Technological advances in game-mediated robotics provide an opportunity to engage children with CP and other neuromotor disabilities in more frequent and intensive therapy by making personalized, programmed interventions available 24/7 in children’s homes. Though shown to be clinically effective and feasible to produce, little is known of the subjective factors impacting acceptance and of such assistive/rehabilitative gamebots by their target populations and their families. This research describes the conceptualization phase of an effort to develop a valid and reliable instrument to guide the design of A/R gamebots. We conducted in-depth interviews with 8 children with CP and their families who had trialed an A/R gamebot for 28 days in their homes to understand how existing theories and instruments were either appropriate or inappropriate to measuring the subjective experience of A/R gamebots. Key findings were the importance of differentiating the paradigm of rehabilitative from that of assistive technology, the need to incorporate the differing perspectives of children with CP and those of their parents into A/R gamebot evaluation, and the potential conflict between the goals of preserving the quality of the experience of game play for the child while also optimizing the intensity and duration of therapy provided during play.