DON’T LIKE NEEDLES? HOLD THE ROBOT DOG

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown that pain or fear experienced by patients during medical treatments can be considerably alleviated by holding and experiencing the motions of a soft furry robot. During the campaign to encourage vaccination, public health officials recognised that some people are simply afraid of needles, which contributed to reduced vaccination rates. While the problems of patient anxiety and pain during medical procedures have been well studied, a solution has yet to be found, until now. In a recently published study in Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of Tsukuba developed a wearable soft robot for patients to use during treatments, in an attempt to ease their discomfort. “Our results suggest that the use of wearable soft robots may reduce fear as well as alleviate the perception of pain during medical treatments, including vaccinations,” says senior author Professor Fumihide Tanaka. The soft, fur-covered robot the scientists called Reliebo was designed to be attached to the participant’s hand; it contained small airbags that could inflate in response to hand movements. They found that holding the robot helped relieve the experience for patients regardless of the experimental conditions used, and speculated that the feelings of wellbeing that can be created by human touch may have been activated by the robot. “It is well known that interpersonal touch can reduce pain and fear, and we believe this effect can be achieved even with non-living soft robots,” says Professor Tanaka.