Solving Loneliness in Hospitals with AI and Robotics: a Conversation with Karen Khachikyan and Mineh Badmagharian

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we speak with Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, and Mineh Badmagharian, the clinical and product development leader. They shared the remarkable story behind Robin, a robot designed to provide emotional support and comfort to pediatric and geriatric patients in hospitals and care facilities.  

What stood out most was the team's relentless focus on truly understanding their end users - the children, seniors, and medical staff who interact with Robin. Insights from the discussion include: 

• The importance of understanding your customer. The team spent years carefully observing how children reacted to different iterations of Robin, refining details like the robot's age and favorite animal to create a personality kids would love. 

• Integrating the technical and clinical needs. The two teams weren’t always aligned, but they found creative solutions by keeping the user experience as the north star.  

• Understanding the human element of robotics. - Perhaps most inspiring was the team's deep personal connection to Robin, treating it as a beloved member of the family, a sentiment shared by nurses and patients with access to a Robin. 

Before listening, check out videos of Robin in action.

• https://youtu.be/FwZuUkjoj4M
• https://youtube.com/shorts/fkBHxs2aUA4?si=mK2eKW_5lL8vyBw1