By Robert Preidt
He sings, he plays games—and Huggable the "social robot" teddy bear could be good medicine for kids in the hospital.
In a study of 50 children, aged 3 to 10 years, the plush bear boosted spirits, eased anxiety and even lowered perceived pain levels, say Boston Children's Hospital researchers.
"It's exciting knowing what types of support we can provide kids who may feel isolated or scared about what they're going through," said study first author Deirdre Logan, a pediatric psychologist at the hospital.