From the OC Register:
The kids at the Child Development School at UC Irvine love their pal Rusty, who would win a school popularity contest hands down if someone took a vote… They’re also crazy about Carl, another friend at the innovative school. Everybody wants to play with Carl. Actually, both Rusty and Carl have little in common with their playmates. Rusty is a dog and Carl is a robot. But each plays an important role at the school, where teachers use a reward system to reinforce the positive behavior of students, most of whom have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism or other neuro-developmental conditions… Designed by UC Irvine cognitive scientist Jeff Krichmar, Ph.D, Carl is aimed at improving relationships and social engagement in children with autism or other developmental disorders.

For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-611905-rusty-carl.html.