Meet Robin, the Robot That Makes Sick Children in Hospitals Feel Better

A robot has been roaming the halls of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, visiting sick children and brightening up their outlook in a heart-warming new study. Researchers discovered that their human-controlled robot, called Robin, was able to encourage a more positive outlook in the children and even improve their medical interactions, and outlined their important work in a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference. 

“Our team has demonstrated that a social companion robot can go beyond video chats on a tablet to give us a more imaginative and profound way to make the hospital less stressful,” said Justin Wagner, MD, a pediatric surgeon at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and senior author of the study, in a statement.