Interprofessional and Agile Development of Mobirobot: A Socially Assistive Robot for Pediatric Therapy Across Clinical and Therapeutic Settings

2026-01-14

AI Summary

This study addresses the low engagement and poor exercise adherence commonly observed among pediatric patients recovering from trauma, fractures, or depressive disorders. To tackle this challenge, the authors employed a human-centered agile development approach, collaborating with a multidisciplinary clinical team and end users to design and deploy Mobirobot—a socially assistive robot built on the NAO platform. The system integrates customizable exercise routines, interactive voice guidance, and a graphical, no-code feedback interface, prioritizing minimal intrusiveness and contextual adaptability within inpatient settings. Through early integration into real-world clinical environments, the project identified critical design requirements and usability constraints, leading to iterative refinements in interaction protocols, robotic behaviors, and technical configurations. A feasibility study is currently underway to evaluate the robot’s acceptability, usability, and perceived therapeutic benefits.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Psychology-informed user models and recommender systems
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Applied ML and AI for Web-based mobile applications

Abstract

Introduction: Socially assistive robots hold promise for enhancing therapeutic engagement in paediatric clinical settings. However, their successful implementation requires not only technical robustness but also context-sensitive, co-designed solutions. This paper presents Mobirobot, a socially assistive robot developed to support mobilisation in children recovering from trauma, fractures, or depressive disorders through personalised exercise programmes. Methods: An agile, human-centred development approach guided the iterative design of Mobirobot. Multidisciplinary clinical teams and end users were involved throughout the co-development process, which focused on early integration into real-world paediatric surgical and psychiatric settings. The robot, based on the NAO platform, features a simple setup, adaptable exercise routines with interactive guidance, motivational dialogue, and a graphical user interface (GUI) for monitoring and no-code system feedback. Results: Deployment in hospital environments enabled the identification of key design requirements and usability constraints. Stakeholder feedback led to refinements in interaction design, movement capabilities, and technical configuration. A feasibility study is currently underway to assess acceptance, usability, and perceived therapeutic benefit, with data collection including questionnaires, behavioural observations, and staff-patient interviews. Discussion: Mobirobot demonstrates how multiprofessional, stakeholder-led development can yield a socially assistive system suited for dynamic inpatient settings. Early-stage findings underscore the importance of contextual integration, robustness, and minimal-intrusion design. While challenges such as sensor limitations and patient recruitment remain, the platform offers a promising foundation for further research and clinical application.

Problem

• socially assistive robot
• pediatric therapy
• mobility rehabilitation
• clinical integration
• personalized exercise

Innovation

• agile co-design
• socially assistive robot
• human-centered development
• context-sensitive interaction
• no-code feedback interface