Childhood obesity: you arrive, the robot that allows children to recognize the sense of satiety and offers them useful advice
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Childhood obesity: how children would behave if they had a toy robot that helps them in feeding?
Some students of the Second University of Naples (Sun) who, with the help of two teachers of psychology and one of design, have developed a small toy robot named "you"To help children a recognize the sense of satiety and correct those eating habits considered "wrong".
Considered a "companion" to whom the overweight child relates every day e inspired by family ties in childhood obesity cases, You pursue the mission of assisting him in the recognize one's own stimuli through the mechanism of identification. Through a App, the child feeds the robot by selecting the quantities and type of food that he himself has eaten. In this way, "You" reacts to the information received through light signals, facial expressions or phrases relating to their sensations, such as "I ate a lot", "I feel bloated", "just sit still, I want to move!".
Not only that, but the little robot is also based on a system that rewards the child's efforts and rewards him when he makes a correct choice, making him feel satisfied thanks to the presence of LEDs and simulated facial expressions.
The game is associated with a bracelet that the child will wear to record the main metabolic parameters and the physical activity performed. In addition, the bracelet detects closeness with other children, stimulating opportunities for collective play thanks to prizes accumulated through a healthy diet and proper physical activity.
The little robot, which for now is a prototype, was designed by the professors of Psychology Paolo Cotrufo and Stefania Cella and of Design Rosanna Veneziano, with the collaboration of the students of the Social Design course of the Design for Innovation degree course, Antonio Basilicata, Daniele Caccavale and Clarita Caliendo.
Germana Carillo
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