Therabot

Abstract

Therabot is an assistive-robotic therapy system designed to provide support during counseling sessions and home therapy practice to patients diagnosed with conditions associated with trauma. Studies were conducted to determine desired features of potential end-users of the system, such as clinicians, with feedback from past survivors of trauma to guide the participatory design process. The results from a survey of 1,045 respondents revealed a preferred form factor of a floppy-eared dog with coloring similar to that of a beagle. The most requested features were that the robot be of a size that would be comfortable to fit in a person's lap and a covering that was soft, durable, and had multiple textures.