The cooperation between the Lodz University of Technology, the Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts and the Navicula Center of Autism Diagnosis and Therapy in Lodz has been based on the project called ‘Roboterapia’, as a combination of Polish words ‘robot’ and ‘therapy’. Researchers and engineers, under guidiance of autism therapists have combined their efforts with art students to provide tools for the therapists to use in their day-to-day activities.

Our project aims at creating valuable therapy devices while improving the well being of autism therapists. Autism therapists were involved in all phases of the project starting from describing the goals, through needfinding, various stages of prototyping to implementation phases.

The main effect of the Roboterapia project -- a set of devices with programming environment, is designed for use for therapy of severely disabled children. The devices should not only improve and vary the therapy but also lessen the workload of the therapist and make his or her work more enjoyable. This is important as therapists of severaly (mentally) disabled persons have a very high risk of occupational burnout.

On this website we have described the project, its history, publications and details of all the devices, which are currentely used in Navicula Center of Autism Diagnosis and Therapy.