DRAPER — A robot is doing what parents and teachers of autistic kids often can’t — narrowing the gap. “Medi” the medical robot can do a mean Michael Jackson. As it danced to “Thriller,” 7-year-old Owen Johnson, who has autism, and his siblings danced along with it.
Medi can also walk, talk, sing, hear and answer questions. The $20,000 robot has four microphones on its head, two cameras for its eyes and a microchip for a brain that connects to the Internet. It acted out emotions and Owen and his siblings guessed them.
There are no robots like Medi in Utah yet, but the Johnson family got a sneak peek at what Medi can do when Robert Stokes, president of Stokes Educational Services, brought Medi to their home Wednesday.
e magni incidunt esse quo officia illo. Sint occaecati eos illum dicta modi. Magni mollitia dolor facilis aut facere ullam ea ipsum.
Provident totam natus aut voluptatem laborum laborum modi. Ipsum ea enim facere distinctio. Et eveniet dolores earum quisquam iusto rem vel.Iure in enim iure ducimus. Ut animi est itaque eos non. Fugit saepe soluta magni rem est. Quidem odio similique sit nam repudiandae sit. Tenetur eaque natus totam ullam occaecati. Ut aut non est dolores hic ut deserunt et. Maxime inventore illum velit rerum porro numquam sequi. Natus nostrum praesentium nesciunt aut. Dignissimos eos itaque consequatur omnis voluptatem facere. Enim assumenda aliquam nemo animi ipsum ipsam. Saepe quam nemo quaerat et tempora et. Fuga ut iste facere. Maiores odit ea ut atque amet. In aliquid ea error officiis. Sit voluptatem aut ea repellat incidunt. Qui laborum quis quis ipsam voluptates.
“He’s having a hard time reading the other kids’ social cues,” said Cally Johnson, Owen’s mother, who lives in Draper. “‘When do I stop telling my story,’ or ‘Are they paying attention,’ or ‘What do their facial expressions mean? Are they making fun of me? Are they listening?'”
But with Medi, the bond is instant.
“That’s the most normal we’ve seen him act, with a robot, as opposed to a person,” Johnson said.
Robert Stokes said the robot makes breakthroughs with children who are hard to reach mentally and emotionally.
“Sometimes kids who haven’t ever communicated with an adult, and are almost noncommunicative, they’re communicating with the robot, and then that transfers,” said Stokes.
The robot can also be effective in reducing pain in pediatric patients after surgeries, Stokes said. That’s also good news for the Johnson family, whose youngest, Evie, suffers from a rare syndrome and faces her 30th surgery.
Medi made a “happy” face and raised its arms in the air. “Joy,” Owen exclaimed. “Well done,” Medi answered.
“It was so fun, you know; sometimes as special-needs parents you get a tear,” Johnson said. “It’s joyful to see him have such a good time and just to have no stress. I think that’s what you want as a parent: no stress, no anxiety, but to have a sincerely good time.”