Social robot aims to help kids battling cancer

Device featured at the CES gadget show

ATLANTA — A plush, robotic duck may soon become a fixture in the world of children who have cancer — a social robot that can be silly, happy, angry, scared or sick just like them, and help them cope creatively with their illness through the power of play.

The duck, developed by robotics expert Aaron Horowitz and his company, is undergoing testing and is expected to be widely distributed by the end of this year.

Horowitz said he was diagnosed as a child with human growth development deficiency and had to give himself daily injections for five years.

The experience, he said, made him want to help other children with illnesses, which led to his co-founding of the Rhode Islandbased company Sproutel with a partner he met at Northwestern University.

Health care facilities from children’s hospitals to nursing homes have been experimenting for more than a decade with the use of robots for social companionship and emotional health. Some devices look like quintessential robots; others are designed as cute animal toys.

The machines’ technological sophistication varies, but they have similar aims: improving patients’ psychological wellbeing, reminding them of healthrelated tasks or teaching them about health goals.

Horowitz said the first social robot his company launched was Jerry the Bear, an interactive companion for kids with diabetes.

“Out of this came the idea of, ‘Why can’t we do it for other types of kids?’ ” Horowitz said.

They turned to kids with cancer — in the U.S., almost 11,000 get such a diagnosis yearly, according to the American Cancer Society.

The robot duck is modeled after the mascot for the insurance company Aflac, which paid for its development and is branding the duck with its name.

Aflac spokesman Jon Sullivan said the ducks — plush on the outside with sophisticated robotics hidden beneath a washable cover — will be given free to children diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. The duck was featured Monday at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, Nev.

Sullivan said the company intends to continue covering costs of the duck for kids.

Aflac and Horowitz said they make no claims the duck has medicinal value.

They want the ducks to provide comfort, help children cope with treatment and distract them from what they’re going through.

PHOTOS BY MARINA HUTCHINSON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ABOVE: Cancer patient Ethan Daniels, 12, speaks with Aaron Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of Sproutel, who designed ‘My Special Aflac Duck’ to help children living with cancer develop a sense of control and manage stress through interactive technology....