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Robot Milo helps children with autism learn social skills
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One social robot, Milo, was created to engage in social interactions with elementary and middle school age children. The robot encourages children to develop social skills. - photo by Leslie Corbly
Children with autism display greater success socializing after using social robots, according to research from RoboKind, a developer of social robots, reported Education News.

One social robot, Milo, was created to engage in social interactions with elementary and middle school age children. The robot encourages children to develop social skills.

Ive witnessed children who struggle with social situations immediately connect with Milo and reveal skills they had never before exhibited in human-led therapy sessions, said Pamela Rollins, associate professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, who presented the research at a National Press Club event.

Rollins, who has worked with the University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, collaborated with RoboKind to produce Milo. She said although autistic kids struggle with social interactions, they are generally good with technology, reports CNN.

So Milo creates that bridge, where he is humanoid, has a human face, but is cartoonish so children in the spectrum are engaged with him," she said.

Milo speaks slower than the average human and has a range of facial expressions. The robot can repeat the same things again and again, with no signs of frustration, allowing children time to truly understand what they are taught, reports CNN.

The research Rollins directed compared childrens interactions with humans versus their interactions with social robots. Her findings suggested the robots improved childrens ability to read emotions and engage in social activity, according to Education World.

Rollins said the children who interacted with the social robot functioned higher than the children who did not engage with the robot. Generally the children who were not interacting with the robot were disengaged in the learning process, Education World reported.

Rollins concluded that this research offers hope for autistic children. Our research found that children with ASD are more engaged with Milo than with the therapist, especially when Milo was instructing them. And we know children who engaged learn better, because engagement equals learning, she said.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.