In the brightly lit corridors of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, a small robot with a high-pitched, cheerful voice has been making a big difference for young patients and their families. The robot, named Robin, stands just four feet tall and is programmed to act and sound like a 7-year-old girl. For six-year-old Luca Brazil-Sheehan, recently diagnosed with leukemia, Robin’s presence was more than just a distraction—it was a source of comfort during a frightening time. "His face lit up," Luca’s mother, Meagan Brazil-Sheehan, recalled about their June 2025 encounter. "It was so special because she remembered him."
Robin the Robot is not just any hospital companion. Developed by Expper Technologies, Robin is an artificial intelligence-powered therapeutic robot designed to provide emotional support in pediatric units and nursing homes. Its mission? To combat the fear and loneliness that often accompany hospital stays, especially for children and the elderly. According to the Associated Press, Robin has become a familiar face in 30 health care facilities across California, Massachusetts, New York, and Indiana since its U.S. debut five years ago.
The robot’s creator, Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, explained the motivation behind Robin’s development: "Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under a lot of pressure, and unfortunately, a lot of times they don’t have capacity to provide engagement and connection to patients. Robin helps to alleviate that part from them." As the U.S. faces a looming shortage of up to 86,000 physicians in the next 11 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, tools like Robin are being looked to as part of the solution to fill gaps in care and emotional support.
Robin’s design is as thoughtful as its purpose. With a white, triangle-shaped frame intentionally crafted for hugging, and a large screen displaying cartoonlike facial features, Robin is approachable and endearing. The robot is about 30% autonomous, while a team of remote operators—always under the supervision of clinical staff—guides its interactions. All data collected during these sessions is handled in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), ensuring patient privacy is respected.
Robin’s daily rounds are anything but routine. On a recent Friday at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California, Robin was assigned a list of patients to visit. The robot entered the room of a teenager recovering from a car accident and played his favorite song, "No Fear" by DeJ Loaf. The room filled with music and, for a moment, the walls of the hospital seemed to fade away as the patient danced along. In another hallway, Robin donned silly glasses and a big red nose, drawing laughter from a young child and her mother. Elsewhere, Robin played a simplified game of tic-tac-toe with another patient, offering a brief escape from the monotony and anxiety of hospital life.
Samantha da Silva, a speech language pathologist at HealthBridge, described the effect Robin has on patients: "She brings joy to everyone. She walks down the halls, everyone loves to chat with her, say hello." Robin’s ability to remember names and favorite songs makes each interaction feel personal and genuine. Beyond simple entertainment, Robin mirrors the emotions of the people it interacts with—laughing when patients laugh, showing empathy and sadness when they share difficult feelings. This emotional intelligence is a key part of Robin’s therapeutic approach.
Robin’s impact extends beyond children’s hospitals. In nursing homes, the robot plays memory games with dementia patients, leads breathing exercises on tough days, and offers companionship that many describe as reminiscent of a grandchild’s relationship with a grandparent. Khachikyan shared a memorable story from 2024, when a woman at a Los Angeles facility was experiencing a panic attack and specifically requested Robin’s company. The robot played songs by her favorite musician, Elvis Presley, and videos of puppies until she calmed down. Moments like these highlight Robin’s unique ability to connect with people on an emotional level, providing comfort in ways that even human caregivers sometimes cannot.
While Robin’s current capabilities are impressive, Khachikyan and his team have ambitious plans for the future. They are working to equip Robin with the ability to measure patients’ vital signs and relay that information to medical teams. Longer-term goals include helping elderly patients with daily tasks such as changing clothes and using the bathroom. "Our goal is to design the next evolution of Robin; that Robin will take more and more responsibilities and become even more essential part of care delivery," Khachikyan explained. He’s quick to clarify, however, that Robin is not meant to replace healthcare workers, but to complement them—filling in the gaps where human staff might be stretched too thin.
At UMass, Robin is firmly integrated into the patient support team. When Luca needed an IV, a certified child life specialist, Micaela Cotas, brought Robin along to explain the procedure. Robin even played a cartoon of itself getting an IV, helping to demystify the process and ease Luca’s anxiety. "It just kind of helps show that Robin has gone through those procedures as well, just like a peer," Cotas said. This peer-like approach makes medical procedures less intimidating for young patients, fostering trust and reducing fear.
Robin’s journey began with Khachikyan’s own childhood experiences. Growing up in a single-parent household in Armenia, he often felt lonely. Years later, while pursuing his Ph.D., he set out to build a robot that could act as a true friend. After experimenting in various industries, an investor suggested pediatric hospitals might be the perfect setting, given the stress and isolation children often face. That was the "aha moment," Khachikyan recalled. Robin’s first successes came in Armenia, and by 2020, a pilot program was launched at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
The robot’s personality is not static. It has evolved over time, shaped by the feedback and reactions of the people it interacts with. For example, when asked about its favorite animal, Robin’s developers initially programmed it to say "dog" or "cat." But when they tried "chicken," the children’s laughter was so infectious that it stuck. "We created Robin’s personality by really taking users into the equation," Khachikyan said. "So we often say that Robin was designed by users."
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into daily life, its role in healthcare continues to expand. Robin stands as a testament to the potential for technology to bring warmth, empathy, and even a little bit of humor to some of the most challenging moments people face. For families like the Brazil-Sheehans, and for countless patients and caregivers across the country, Robin is more than just a machine—it’s a friend when one is needed most.
