Hospitals Using Childlike Robot to Comfort Pediatric Patients

A new presence is making its way into hospitals and nursing homes nationwide. Featuring an animated, cartoonish face on a screen about the size of an iPad, the robot, mounted on a cone-shaped torso, roams around, engaging with patients through jokes, playful faces, and simple games.

Known as Robin the Robot, this creation is gaining popularity among young patients and hospital personnel alike.

“She brings joy to everyone,” remarked Samantha da Silva, a speech-language pathologist at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California, to the Associated Press. “She walks down the halls, everyone loves to chat with her, say hello.”

Engineered to mimic the behavior and voice of a seven-year-old girl, this therapeutic robot is a fresh example of AI technology entering the medical field. Some hospitals now employ AI to assess patients, using chatbots for preliminaries before virtual telehealth sessions. Beyond that, doctors leverage AI for medical transcriptions and diagnosing patients, though concerns about accuracy still linger.

However, Robin the Robot aims for companionship and comfort, a purpose under watchful scrutiny amid reports of people, notably children, facing delusions and mental declines after forming attachments to chatbots like ChatGPT.

“Imagine pure emotional intelligence like WALL-E. We’re working to achieve that,” stated Karén Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, the company behind Robin, to the AP.

The firm claims Robin harnesses its unique CompassionateAI™ to cater to both children and elderly individuals, establishing “meaningful” and “enduring” relationships.

Despite these features, Robin is reportedly only 30 percent autonomous, based on information from the AP. A team of teleoperators handles the balance—a common aspect for AI applications, from humanoid robots to autonomous vehicles. Robin collects data from interactions, with Khachikyan asserting HIPAA compliance.

Children seem captivated. After hearing his favorite song, a teen injured in a car crash danced with the robot. In another instance, the robot donned quirky glasses and a red nose to amuse a young girl. With a different patient, it played tic-tac-toe.

Yet, Robin mirrors the emotions of those it interacts with, embodying empathy in tough times and mirth when spirits are high, as per Khachikyan’s explanation. It even recognizes and “remembers” patients, though the extent of human intervention remains vague.

One parent recalled her son’s delight when encountering the robot a second time, as it greeted him by name, making the encounter feel special.

Such functionality aligns with the robot’s comforting role but raises concerns over AI’s tendency to overly validate, potentially impairing mental health rather than steering individuals towards improvement. Criticism also targets AI’s ability to “remember” past conversations, which can foster an overly human-like perception.

Since its introduction in the U.S. five years ago, Robin has appeared in 30 healthcare facilities across California, New York, Massachusetts, and Indiana. According to Khachikyan, it helps relieve the burden on overworked medical staff who lack the time to engage with patients.

Considering the robot’s reliance on human teleoperation, questions arise on its true efficiency. Does this approach equate to outsourcing a vital role within hospitals to tech company staff elsewhere? And how will perceptions shift once these devices become a regular sight in clinical settings?

Nevertheless, these queries aren’t deterring Robin’s developers.

“Our aim is to design the next evolution of Robin, where it assumes more responsibilities and becomes a vital part of care delivery,” Khachikyan expressed.