Laure Retru-Chavastel, general engineer, class of 2016
Laure Retru-Chavastel chose to do her end-of-studies internship with LUSAGE, a living lab for innovation in health and independence. AtBroca Hospital (APHP) in Paris, the student joined a research project dedicated to elderly people with neurodegenerative diseases.
NAO, the robot therapist
Over a period of four months, with the help of a psychomotor therapist, Laure developed robot-assisted psychomotor therapy sessions based on the NAO robot. This robot must be configured to stimulate patients' cognitive abilities, develop their physical expression, and perform fitness exercises with them. " We made sure it was very empathetic," says the young woman. During the sessions, it shows the movements to be reproduced, encourages and compliments the person."
An emerging field
The results were overwhelmingly positive: " I was surprised to find that one person, who initially refused to take part in the psychomotor therapy session, finally agreed and even actively participated once they discovered the NAO robot. " Laure Retru-Chavastel was thus able to invest herself in a promising field, as the use of humanoids in therapeutic treatments is still in its infancy. For the young graduate, combining programming and helping people remains her professional goal.
Photo credit: Marion Gambin
Laure participated as a model in the photography exhibition Technologie Nom Féminin, organized byArts et Métiers.
