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May 1, 2012
Lumia

Dr. Roboto? Interactive Teddy Bear Helps Kids Manage Diabetes

Jerry the Bear is a new toy created by students at Northwestern directed at teaching kids with Type 1 diabetes about how to manage their well-being and health. The toy is designed to mimic the actual procedures that the children themselves have to go through, allowing children to administer doses of insulin or “feed” the toy when blood sugar levels get too low. Aaron Horowitz, one of the creators of Jerry the Bear feels good about the childrens’ response to the toy: “They respond really well to these inanimate objects that they ascribe all sort of feelings to. We just saw there was a great potential to use this thing they’re so attached to and try to make it convey information that could actually help them learn.”