Robot Characters for Innovative Medical Eye Exams in Kids

We contribute to new design directions towards robots that can socially engage with pediatric patients while imaging their eyes reliably. Eye imaging is essential to diagnose and manage ocular diseases, but practically impossible to conduct due to children’s fear and aversion during the exam. Pediatric patients frequently require an exam under anesthesia, adding significant medical risk, stress, delay, and cost of care. We explored the design space of character design for an eye-imaging robot system to make eye exams more fun for children. Using contextual inquiry, we collected needs from stakeholders around eye exams, leading to the understanding of pain points. We then conducted design explorations of robot characters that could mitigate negative effects while amplifying moments of fun for pediatric patients. We built two low-fidelity robot characters and showed them to stakeholders. Our research highlights the need for these approachable characters to realize eye exams in pediatric patients with engagement.