IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2018 - 51

30%
38%

48
19%

77
In a Hospital or Health-Care Setting
In the Home
At School
In Outdoor Settings
Other (Please Describe Below)

Figure 3. Responses related to the desired locations for
exoskeleton use by a child.

respondents (rather than the percentage of respondents) is
listed here and in Figure 3. Seventy-five percent of the respondents indicated that their child had prior experience with a
robotic exoskeleton. To provide context, we supplied a hyperlink to an image of a sample exoskeleton (the image used in
the survey can be found at: https://www.choa.org/~/media/
images/Childrens/photo-galleries/medical-services/rehabilitation/center-adv-tech/ekso-robotic-exoskeleton.png). In
response to "Which types of activities do you think your child
would try to perform while using a robotic exoskeleton
(check all that apply)?," 83 respondents indicated "walk," 59
indicated "run," 27 indicated "climb," and 16 indicated "jump."
Since the respondents could select more than one choice for
this question item, the number of respondents (rather than
the percentage of respondents) is listed here.
In response to the question "As compared to other children, how adventurous or cautious is your child?," approximately 6% of the respondents indicated "much more
adventurous," 30% said "somewhat more adventurous," 19%
indicated "about the same," 38% answered "somewhat more
cautious," and 7% said "much more cautious" (Figure 4). In
response to the question "How much trust would you have in
your child to handle a risky situation, such as climbing stairs,
if he/she were wearing a robotic exoskeleton?," approximately
4% of respondents indicated that they would be "very concerned," 12% said "somewhat concerned," 22% had "some
concern but I also would trust my child," 53% indicated they
"would typically trust my child to handle the situation," and
9% would "completely trust my child" (Figure 5). Although
the phrasing of the question more directly asks about the trust
parents would place in their child rather than in the technology, the resulting information suggests how parents view
the resulting actions of the child/machine system. The data

Much More Adventurous
Somewhat More Adventurous
About the Same
Somewhat More Cautious
Much More Cautious
Figure 4. The adventurous nature of children with a movement
disability.

12%

22%

53%

Completely Trust
Typically Trust
Some Concern But Would Trust
Somewhat Concerned
Very Concerned
Figure 5. Trust in children with a movement disability.

suggest that parents may accept greater risks when they consider the child and machine together rather than just the child
alone. This information can provide some guidance in terms
of considering safety features; in other words, parents may
need reminders not to leave their child unattended while
using an exoskeleton.
The survey also posed questions to the caregivers about
safety-related notifications. These questions were primarily
designed to assess possible interfaces that could enhance the
interactions among parents, children, and robots. In terms of
who should be notified first if the child were to encounter a
March 2018

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

https://www.choa.org/~/media/images/Childrens/photo-galleries/medical-services/rehabilitation/center-adv-tech/ekso-robotic-exoskeleton.png https://www.choa.org/~/media/images/Childrens/photo-galleries/medical-services/rehabilitation/center-adv-tech/ekso-robotic-exoskeleton.png https://www.choa.org/~/media/images/Childrens/photo-galleries/medical-services/rehabilitation/center-adv-tech/ekso-robotic-exoskeleton.png

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2018