Dr Craig Sutherland

I research how robots can be used to reduce stress, anxiety and social isolation of children in hospitals. A negative experience can cause the person to avoid healthcare, even as an adult. While modern robots can offer rich functionality for interacting with people, there is less research around how to build autonomous systems for assisting children in hospitals. My research builds on the capacities of modern robotic systems to implement and evaluate robots that are used in pediatric wards to improve the quality of a child’s stay and assist hospital workers in helping children.