In this paper we present a novel approach to programme Kaspar, a 22 DOF
humanoid robot used for robot-assisted therapy with children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The original software used to programme Kaspar
was developed to primarily be used in research. However, Kaspar is now
used
increasingly in other environments, operated by non-roboticists.
While Kaspar has a user-friendly interface to be operated by
non-programmers, new games or behaviours could only be created by the
research team. Thus, we needed to develop an interface that will allow
non-roboticists to programme Kaspar.
As a solution, we used the Scratch programming language. We tested
the Scratch interface with over 170 school children aged 7 to 10, who
had the chance to programme Kaspar and give their feedback. In general
terms, Scratch was thought to be a fun, useful and easy way to programme
Kaspar, and the majority of the children were willing to use it again.