As a functional medicine pediatrician, I have a responsibility to both treat the young patients in front of me as well as advocate for the well-being of children in society. Obviously, there is considerable overlap between these two roles. As I evaluate studies and research findings in order to apply new discoveries in either arena, I strive to discern what is true AND what is good from these articles. True findings are usually good findings. On occasion, what has been found to be true is not always good to apply in the real world for one reason or another. A study out of Oregon State strikes me as one of the true findings, yet a foolish truth to apply. Having found that a kid-friendly robot could increase the amount of movement in a group of young children, they surmised that incorporating such robots could improve children’s health.
While I won’t argue with the results of the study, I will debate the idea that application would be a good thing. It is likely true that the children were more active when they had a robot playing keep away with them. My concern lies in the very acceptance of using machines to encourage such activity and the lack of a true comparison. In the study, they compared the children’s activity when the robot was turned on versus turned off. What would have been the result of having a teacher or trusted adult playing games with the children?
I expect that the activity level without the robot but with a real human game leader would be at least comparable to the activity level with the robot. Taking a moment to think even further, the adult who spent an hour playing games with the children would also get more activity than the one sitting back in a chair watching a robot play games. Given the need for adults in our society to get more exercise, this would have been helpful.
Beyond that, while this study looked solely at physical activity levels of the involved children, it ignored the social aspects of interpersonal relationships. Do we really want our children growing up thinking that playing games with robots instead of real humans is normal? Rather than commiserate with parents about difficulties connecting with their toddlers as the authors did, why not challenge them to get more creative in playing with their children? The children are not the only ones needing body and brain activity for health benefits.
In the end, I leave you with this charge to spend more time playing games with your children than looking for a new robot that needs its batteries charged. If you don’t, someone else will be sending robots in to do your parenting work. Just letting the robots do the work could mean your children would have fond memories of playing with robots while wondering who that lump-on-a-log was, the one watching them or possibly just the computer screen.
Original Article:
Rafael Morales Mayoral, Ameer Helmi, Samuel W. Logan, Naomi T. Fitter. GoBot Go! Using a Custom Assistive Robot to Promote Physical Activity in Children. IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine, 2024; 12: 613 DOI: 10.1109/JTEHM.2024.3446511
Thanks to Science Daily:
Oregon State University. “Toddlers show increased physical activity with a robot playmate moving around the room.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 October 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009121555.htm>.
Medical Disclaimer:
This article is intended for educational purposes only. I have attempted to confirm the accuracy of these statements but with time, some currently true statements may be proven incorrect. Before making any medical decisions, you should consult your medical provider. I am not a lawyer nor am I a remediator and cannot provide definitive answers in either category. Discuss legal and remediation decisions with appropriate professionals. Sanctuary is not responsible for decisions you make based on this article.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
