Embodied's Moxie Companion Robot to Work with Pediatric Patients
Embodied, which won the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award in 2021, will launch a pilot program for its companion robot Moxi at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Golisano Children's Hospital (GCH). Introduced in 2020, the robot uses machine learning to support children's social, emotional and cognitive development through play-based learning.
This will be the first study of Moxie's capabilities and effectiveness in a hospital setting. The goal of the pilot project, which will begin in November 2021, is to develop clinical applications of Moxie in pediatrics. The pilot project consists of two phases. Together with the Laboratory of Health at the University of Rochester, as part of the initial study, the company will test whether children and staff can use Moxie in a children's hospital. The second phase will focus on the effectiveness of helping children with diabetes in their care.
The company hopes the robot can provide entertainment, draw patients' attention to their new diagnosis, and reinforce survival-oriented play strategies that can be maintained after discharge. Moxie's goal is to improve tolerance and treatment adherence, reduce stress, and improve long-term health outcomes for children who have just been diagnosed.
For the first time, Embodied and URMC collaborated through KidsX, one of the world's largest digital health accelerators focused on pediatrics, on a 13-week virtual program.
“Our vision for Moxie has always been to change the way machines interact with people through smooth communication and technology that positively affects our everyday lives. That is why we are excited to work with the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Golisano Children's Hospital on the Moxie pilot for pediatric patients. Medical treatment can be hard on children. This partnership will allow us to better understand how Moxie can help medical staff and patients in the hospital”
This is the first time Embodied and URMC have collaborated through KidsX — one of the world's largest digital health accelerators focused on pediatrics — for a 13-week virtual program.
“The mother of a 9-year-old girl shared her experience with Moxie: “Being a mentor to Moxie strengthens her confidence and enhances her sense of empowerment. She is able to reflect on her own and others' actions, enjoys the interaction, the idea of missions, and doesn't feel shy when reading, writing, meditating, breathing, or talking with Moxie. As a middle child who is kind, anxious, and less outgoing than her brothers and sisters, it's good for her to have this project that belongs to her.” ”
In 2021, Embodied won the RBR50 award for Moxie. There were other attempts to develop social robots for children, many of which were little more than more sophisticated consumer toys. But some of them, such as Moxie, were designed specifically to encourage social engagement and cognitive development. However, these systems largely failed to find a commercial foundation.
The mother of a 9-year-old girl shared her experience with Moxie: "Being a mentor to Moxie builds her confidence and enhances her sense of empowerment. She is able to reflect on herself and the actions of others, enjoys the interaction, the idea of missions, and doesn't feel shy when reading, writing, meditating, breathing, or talking to Moxie. As a middle child who is kind, anxious, and less outgoing than her siblings, it's good for her to have this project that belongs to her."
In addition to the advanced technologies built into the companion, the Embodied team also created a specialized curriculum for Moxie, based on child development research, that makes interacting with the robot engaging. Embodied also chose a subscription model for the launch of Moxie, which includes software and curriculum updates, access to Global Robotics Laboratory — a children's online portal with games and stories — and behavioral analytics via the Embodied app.
“Embodied worked on Moxie for four years quietly. We have leading technologies in computer vision and conversational AI. We had to push the boundaries of the current state of the art. Many social robots try to adopt what has already worked for Amazon Alexa or Google Home, but which is not really social interaction. It is more transactional. Children who have Alexa may become ruder as they get used to commands. Many robotics companies start with a naive view of what it takes to become a successful company. They bring technology to a market that is not looking for technology, but for solutions. Only a few robotics companies have been able to offer a clear value proposition, such as iRobot or Kiva (now Amazon Robotics)”
In addition to the advanced technologies built into the companion, the Embodied team also created a specialized curriculum for Moxie, based on child development research, that makes interacting with the robot engaging. Embodied also chose a subscription model for the launch of Moxie, which includes software and curriculum updates, access to the Global Robotics Laboratory, a children's online portal with games and stories, as well as behavioral analytics through the Embodied app.
