Parenting Journal · Volume 3 · Issue 1 · Licensed source edition
Impact of a Social Robot on Hospitalized Children, Caregivers, and Health Care Staff: Exploratory Observational Study
Originally published 2026-07-10 · JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
JMIR Publications Inc. · DOI 10.2196/93897 ↗
AI / system type
Companion social robot; nonverbal autonomous interaction
Direct parenting evidenceDirectly addresses parents or caregiving, including parent studies, syntheses and audits of parenting advice.
The AI connection
Two LOVOT companion robots offered nonverbal interaction in a pediatric playroom.
Why this reading matters
Includes caregivers and staff in a sustained real-world implementation, while clearly exposing measurement limits.
Editorial reading guide · Collaboration
Would a companion robot make hospital play and communication easier for my child and our care team?
Maps to Collaboration through examining the shared pediatric environment from caregiver and staff perspectives.
Study context
110 caregivers and 32 staff in one Japanese pediatric ward
Age / stage: Median child age 5 years, IQR 3–8
Read with three questions
- What did caregivers and staff each rate after LOVOT introduction?
- Why is a retrospective no-change reference not a measured baseline?
- Which observations would be needed to establish actual clinical change?
Keep the limits in view
No control or prospective baseline, uncertain response denominator and self-selection; ratings reflect perceived change, not proven clinical effects. No direct child report.
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Original authorship, publication date, journal and DOI are preserved. This issue’s TRICK placement and reading questions are editorial additions, not claims made by the original authors.
Atsushi Iwai; Naohiro Matsumaru; Minami Ohshima; Ibuki Yasui; Akane Yoshida; Ayumi Ohno; Hiroyuki Kuroda; Kuniaki Tanaka; Kenichiro Kobayashi; Takako Tachibana; Ikuya Usami; Yusuke Ito; Toshiro Maihara (2026). Impact of a Social Robot on Hospitalized Children, Caregivers, and Health Care Staff: Exploratory Observational Study JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting. https://doi.org/10.2196/93897
Permissions checked against the saved article notice; repository publication notices screened 2026-11-04. This is not a new peer-review decision. The source authors and publishers are not represented as endorsing this issue.