SYDNEY, –:Researchers from James Cook University (JCU) have released a study which saw a small, interactable robot taken to a Queensland hospital to help encourage the take up of vaccinations.
The study, published in the Inquiry Health journal and released to the public on Friday, assed the results of just under one thousand people who interacted with the robot.
Individuals were able to ask the robot, “Pepper the vaccine prepper”, questions regarding vaccinations and hygiene, and the information would be displayed on a screen and through voice.
Before and after the interaction, they filled out a short quiz on the information, on average people scored two to three times better on the second test.
“The interaction with the robot provided them with the ability to be able to be more successful in their answers, also changed attitudes towards prevention means and the importance of vaccination,” lead author and professor of Nursing and Midwifery at JCU Cate Nagle told Xinhua.
