Hero's arrival last year was followed with great interest. Robots and their application in care of children (and the elderly) are getting a lot of attention. It is innovative and still a bit futuristic. Robots are technical and human at the same time. Research on the application of robots in the care of children with cancer is being done at the Máxima Center by Kelly van Bindsbergen, an educator and PhD student in the Grootenhuis group. She hopes to get her PhD on the subject Hero and other psychosocial care innovations in the spring of 2023.
Marvelous: Hero as a buddy
Kelly explains: ‘In my first research with Hero, we used him as a buddy for children during hospitalizations and in the treatment room. This allowed children to do something with Hero three times. Twenty families participated in my research. The results show that Hero works well, but that his software can still be improved. Children and parents were very enthusiastic about Hero, and there was often a lot of wonder at what he could do, and a lot of laughter around him. On average, children felt better after interacting with Hero. 80% of the group of children liked it when Hero came with them to the treatment room, where then 90% of the children perceived the procedure as less anxious.
Almost all parents (89%) were positive about the idea of a robot buddy for their child during their treatment. Children reported Hero as a buddy, a friend you feel comfortable with and who cheers you up.' However, the promising results of the study do not yet predict a permanent place for Hero within healthcare. Kelly: ‘We hope so, but using a robot in care requires a lot, such as specific training and dedication of healthcare workers.’
Attractive: Hero as a teacher
Hero was updated to sleep professor late last year. Hero taught children to improve their sleep. Kelly mentored Hero and says, ‘Many children experience sleep problems during their treatment, with all kinds of negative consequences. Hero gave children sleep advice and taught them, for example, about dealing with fretting and the importance of a regular sleep routine. There were two breaks in his teaching program: one with recording sounds such as snoring and one with doing a dance from TikTok together.' Twenty-eight families participated in the study. The results: 75% of children and 50% of parents said they learned something new from Hero, and almost all would like to be taught by Hero more often, including on other topics during treatment. 54% of the parents reported having done something at home two weeks after the education from Hero. Their child's sleep hygiene appeared to have improved.
Kelly: ‘Those are results that exceeded our expectations. I think that really shows the power of the robot: children and parents indicated that they did not necessarily come for the sleep education, but mainly for the robot, and yet they picked something up! We hope that in the future children and parents can visit Hero, for example at the discovery spot, where they can ask him questions and he can provide customized education on various topics.’