Early intervention
The earlier the treatment (within the first 5 years), the better the behavioral outcomes for ASD children.
Designing smart interactive toys to foster social and emotional competences
designing smart interactive toys to encourage social and emotional competences in neurodivergent and neurotypical children
Meet our Companions
Soft, smart, and playful — designed to light up social interaction
Panda PlusMe
Interactive panda with LED feedback for joint attention activities
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Octopus X-8
Multi-sensory octopus with 8 interactive tentacles and RGB LEDs
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The Problem
Understanding the challenges in ASD early intervention
1/67 - 1/132
Newborns affected by ASD in developed countries
First 5 years
Critical window for early intervention
High cost
Complexity limits daily access to TBI
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
A neurodevelopmental condition with lifelong impairments in social, communicative and emotional areas. It affects approximately 0.8% - 1.5% of the population in developed countries.
Early Intervention is Critical
Treatment within the first 5 years of life is essential. Studies show that early therapeutic activities to reinforce social competences lead to better behavioral outcomes and mitigation of severity.
Technology-Based Intervention (TBI)
Robotics, VR/AR, and interactive environments show promise in enhancing social skills. Children with ASD are strongly attracted to technology, which can support therapeutic activities and provide behavioral data for research.
Access Barriers
Supporting technologies are mainly used in research studies. Their intrinsic complexity and high cost make them difficult to access for daily therapeutic activities.
Our Mission
Bridge the gap between research and daily practice by creating accessible, effective, and engaging tools for ASD early intervention.
The Solution: Transitional Wearable Companions (TWCs)
Interactive, soft, smart, animal-shaped companions designed to stimulate social interaction through sensory-motor play with the therapist. Rewarding stimuli (lights, sounds, mild vibrations) reinforce engagement and key social competences (imitation, eye-contact, joint attention).
TWCs can be integrated with AI-based tools to enhance effectiveness and enable behaviour monitoring. Two working prototypes currently exist: Panda PlusMe and Octopus X-8.
- Appeal
- Simple for daily use, yet powerful for highly customizable play activities
- Cost
- Potentially accessible in scale production
- Evidence
- Promising results in ongoing trials
- Extensibility
- AI integration for monitoring and analytics
Why it matters
Tech engagement
Children with ASD show a strong attraction to technology, which can be leveraged to enhance social skills through guided play.
Accessible & scalable
Handmade prototypes cost ~€2000 now; large-scale production can reduce costs to ~€200, enabling daily use.
Research-backed & AI-ready
Developed within EU projects (PlusMe, M-TWIN); pilots show promising improvements. Future AI modules enable behavior monitoring.
Research Partners
Collaborating with leading institutions and research centers
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Based on research projects
TWCs were developed within two related European research projects aimed at designing novel technologies to support ASD early treatment.
M-TWIN
From Intrinsic Motivations to Transitional Wearable INtelligent companions for ASD
im-twin.eu →