WALL-E? AI-Enabled Robot Rolls Through Halls Of UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital To Visit Pediatric Patients
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A sleek, white robot with big eyes and emotional-learning technology has been set loose at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital to help ease the anxiety and loneliness of children while they are in the hospital.
Pediatric patients with compromised immune systems are physically isolated even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter Robin the AI robot – a nearly 4-foot-tall, robot with a sleek, white body and large eyes like the beloved movie robot WALL-E.
Robin is designed with an artificial intelligence system that enables the robot to recognize a child's emotions by interpreting his or her facial expressions and build responsive dialogue to replicating patterns formed from previous experiences.
"Negative feelings are even stronger during this time," Dr. Justin Wagner, a pediatric surgeon at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and co-leader of the Robin project, said in a statement. "We hope to integrate Robin as a member of the team, augmenting our ability to give children contact, attention and companionship."
Robin will start roaming the halls of the hospital this month and undergo a year of training, during which time the robot will be remotely operated by a specialist who will provide Robin's voice and control the robot's actions and expressions as it learns how to respond to children. The robot will also be the subject of a study that to assess its impact on children and families and whether it helps them cope with the stresses of being hospitalized.
