They’re already here!

Think robot companions are the stuff of sci-fi fantasy? Well, for autistic children...

SET in a parallel universe where technology is so advanced that robot servants called Synths are a musthave for any household, the £12 million drama Humans – which has its season two finale tonight – has given Channel 4 its biggest hit for 20 years, with more than six million viewers tuning in each week.

But is the concept as farfetched as it may seem?

Not so, according to a research team at the University of Hertfordshire, which has revealed that they hope to make human-looking robots a part of family life for thousands of children with the learning disability autism within the next two years.

So far, 300 autistic children in Britain have had access to one of 20 robots – all called Kaspar – both at school and in their homes.

There are 700,000 people in the UK with autism, with one in 100 children thought to be affected. The condition is characterised by difficulties in interaction and communication. It is not fully understood what causes it, and there is no cure.

Dr Ben Robins, who help build the first Kaspar in 2006, explained: ‘The reason autistic children have problems communicating is because they find it difficult to interpret verbal and non-verbal language like gestures, tone of voice or facial expressions, and this can cause them to become extremely anxious.

‘The robot looks like a person but is minimally expressive, always dressed the same and always has his hat on. So for children with autism he offers a reliable, familiar face to interact with.’

Kaspar has features that look slightly human, but are obviously not – therefore communication, with all its complex and frightening subtleties and nuances, is less complicated and more comfortable for the child. When Kaspar feels sad,

AWAND that zaps fluidfilled pancreatic cysts before they can turn into one of the most lethal forms of cancer is being trialled by NHS doctors across Britain. The procedure takes just 90 seconds, during which a blast of radiofrequency heat is sent into the cyst through a thin metal wire, killing suspicious cells.

The new treatment is called endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, and is carried out under sedation as a day case.

An endoscope is passed through the throat and into the stomach, from where the needle is inserted into the pancreas. Once in place, a radiofrequency generator creates heat that passes down the wire.

‘Increasing numbers of these cysts, some which can become malignant, are being detected incidentally his head bows down; when he’s cross he turns his head to the side and puts his hand over his face.

There is no artificial intelligence – the robot is remotely controlled by a parent or teacher. Its programming includes prerecorded speech and songs, and it can even wave and blink.

Dr Robins says that recent modifications have enabled Kaspar to use a knife and fork, comb his hair and brush his teeth – all skills that can be used to help autistic children at home with personal hygiene.

The robot can even encourage a child to sit down to a family meal – something those with the condition are often reluctant to do because it involves social interaction.

Dr Robins, who has been working on long-term trials with more than 70 autistic children aged from four to 16, says youngsters are happy to hug and kiss Kaspar, even if they are unable to have that same contact with their own families. Specialist teachers and therapists use the robot to encourage them to play games with other children.

Nan Cannon Jones, founder of Tracks, a specialist school for children with autism in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, said: ‘We had a child who refused to eat or sit with the other seven children at the school.

‘His mum sent him in with a box of biscuits, and with Kaspar’s encouragement over the course of ten weeks, he eventually got to the stage where he would put a biscuit on the robot’s lap and sit with him and the other children at the snack table and eat a biscuit himself.

‘We have had a lot of wow moments since Kaspar became a permanent part of our school, and if he can make this kind of difference to a child, he has got to be worth having.’ when people have scans for abnormal conditions like diverticulitis,’ says consultant gastroenterologist Professor Stephen Pereira, of the Royal Free Hospital and University College Hospital London.

One study found that 13.5 per cent of patients who have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the abdomen for unrelated symptoms will have a cyst. The frequency increases with age.

When found, pre-malignant cysts are currently either monitored or removed surgically. Survival rates are low for cancer of the pancreas, a 6in-long gland behind the stomach that produces digestive juices and insulin.

According to Cancer Research UK data, only one patient in 100 survives for ten years or more after diagnosis. Early detection is crucial for improving survival.

Prof Pereira added: ‘We are carrying out the procedure on an initial 100 patients and will then review the results.’