Aflac Begins Rollout of Robot Ducks at Children's Cancer Hospitals
Marie Donlon | September 07, 2018Source: AflacRobotic therapy ducks from Aflac are beginning to debut at children’s cancer hospitals in the United States in an effort to draw attention to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The robotic ducks, called My Special Aflac Duck, were designed to be therapeutic, educational and comforting for kids with cancer. Equipped with RFID-enabled emoji cards located on the duck’s chest, patients are able to select a feeling that they want the duck to embody. For instance, choosing a frowny face will result in the duck lowering its head and releasing a sad whimper.
Another feature includes a port with an RFID chip that kids can use to pretend to administer chemotherapy to the duck. Additionally, via an accompanying app, patients can also bathe, feed and administer medicine to the duck. The ducks have also been designed to soothe patients with their heartbeat and deep breathing features.
Aflac suggests that such pretending gives children the feeling of control while being treated for their illness.
Currently, the ducks have only been rolled out to two hospitals, but Aflac intents to bring the campaign to other hospitals in the U.S. before the end of the year, gifting the ducks free of charge to newly diagnosed children between the ages of 3 and 13.