Ethan Hayes, age 7, and his sister Chloe, age 8, are the first to test Chai Lifeline Canada's new therapeutic robot, Zenbo. The companion robot tells stories, plays math games, and can even crack jokes.Seven-year-old Ethan Hayes and his older sister, Chloe, sit on their family room floor in Toronto’s east end, dutifully engaged with their new guest.
Zenbo the companion robot is a pilot project from Toronto-based charity Chai Lifeline Canada, an organization that supports families with children going through serious illness, in partnership with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The little googly-eyed robot is designed to entertain kids stuck at home or in the hospital, even helping them with their school work.
Illness is extremely isolating, said Mordechai Rothman, executive director of Chai Lifeline Canada. “One of the things that we’re hoping to do with the robot is to have a child be able to connect with somebody, almost like a little buddy who can be there for him,” he said. With motion sensors, facial recognition, a touch screen and more, Zenbo can interact with kids beyond the limits of an iPad app, hanging out with them like a digital friend.
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Amazing. Love it!