Stanbridge University Acquires Milo Social Robot for Graduate-Level Research in Occupational Therapy Programs

Stanbridge University Acquires Milo Social Robot for Graduate-Level Research in Occupational Therapy Programs
The Milo social robot.

Stanbridge University is pleased to announce the addition of Milo, a facially expressive robot designed by RoboKind, to the Robotics and Intelligent Sciences Lab at its Orange County campus. Milo will be used by graduate occupational therapy students to help teach social, emotional, and behavioral skills to children with autism.

Milo’s expressive face distinguishes him from other social robots designed for use in conjunction with traditional autism therapies. By conveying a wide range of emotions and delivering consistent, slower speech, Milo can simulate human interaction in a way that is both comfortable and predictable for autistic children.

“We are excited to add Milo to our Robotics and Intelligent Sciences Lab,” stated Dr. Myka Persson, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program Director. “The ‘show, not tell’ philosophy of Milo’s design is perfectly aligned with our goal of providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for our students.”

Milo teaches social skills through robot-led lessons. These lessons are aligned with evidence-based practices to deliver RoboKind’s social-emotional learning curriculum for reducing behavioral incidences and increasing student engagement. Data collected during lessons helps educators create personalized learning experiences.

“We are proud to partner with the innovators at Stanbridge to help craft the next generation of educators and therapists,” explained Richard Margolin, founder and CEO of RoboKind. “We know technology can better engage those who have difficulty with communication and human interaction, and Milo builds a bridge to teaching essential social skills without the fear and anxiety of interacting with another person. When students are captivated, it’s time well-spent practicing new skills to better communicate with the world around them.”

With Milo’s help, Stanbridge University’s graduate occupational therapy students will research methods to provide autistic children with the tools they need to navigate social situations more effectively.

Stanbridge University is an award-winning private institution that offers degrees in nursing and healthcare in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange County. To learn more about Stanbridge University, please visit www.stanbridge.edu.

RoboKind is an education technology company using assistive technology to improve social-emotional outcomes for autistic students. The CASE-endorsed robots4autism program combines facially-expressive humanoid robots with an autism-focused SEL curriculum to increase engagement and empower independence. RoboKind’s professional learning resources empower facilitators to deliver high fidelity SEL curriculum to improve student IEP outcomes. Developed with the assistance of autism experts, advocates, learning professionals, and educators, the evidence-based program leverages speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and applied behavioral analysis (ABA) principles.

Research shows autistic children with fluent speech engage with the robot 87.5% of the time vs. just 2-3% when working with a human therapist alone. Educators experience reduced behavioral incidents and improved emotional regulation with their students.