The disability that this robot is helping is cerebral palsy. This disease is caused by permanent brain damage before birth or during infancy. Cerebral palsy is a term for a group of diseases that are non-progressive and non-contagious. Some of these diseases are movement and posture disability. This is a life-long condition. The result of this is a muscular inability to move part or all of the body, limited motor skills, speech difficulties, learning disabilities, posture disabilities, or other problems.

Our robot is helping this disease by making it easier and more efficient to pattern children. At this point in time, patterning is done by two or three therapists who physically move the child. This helps the child learn how to crawl. There are some problems with this. If more than one therapist performs this act, there is not a guarantee that they will do it in the same way or speed. With our robot, it will always pattern in the same way and speed, and can adjust to the child’s point in learning. Also, it never gets tired so it can go on a lot longer than therapists can.