TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (MNA) � A University of Tehran researcher has developed the country�s first ever parrot robot which would help autistic children in treatment process.

Hadi Moradi, the project manager of �Parrot Robot Design Project for Autistic Children� told Mehr News that the parrot robot had the ability to distinguish colors, specific geometric shapes, voices, and persons, and was remotely controlled; �diagnosis of autism in affected children is possible through interviewing the parents by an specialist; given the different behavior displayed by autistic children and normal children in reaction to parrot robot, the autism is easily diagnosed,� he added.

Moradi said that the robot had undergone tests for its ability to diagnose accurately the autism; �now, the parrot robot is undergoing test in its ability to training autistic children in getting the turn in a queue; the robot is considered second in the raw, and the autistic child should realize when it is the parrot robot�s turn; we expect to see the test results by upcoming two months,� he detailed about the process.

He also predicted teaching objects to autistic children and distinguishing individuals� feelings as possible future plans; �the designing of the robot is unique even across the world; the robot was developed by close collaboration of Cognitive Science and Technology Council of Presidential Deputy for Science and Technology for the first time,� Moradi added.

�Currently, other types of robots such as �Nao,� which are priced at thousands of dollars; our parrot robot however is only $ 1,700, and awaits industrial-level mass production; the robot would be used in other applications such as entertainment and language learning,� he told reporters.

By Mehr News Agency