NCT07389902

Impact of Conversational Approaches in Pediatric Social Robot-Mediated Interventions

The Impact of Conversational Approaches in Pediatric Robot-Mediated Interventions on Children's Responses in Hospital Settings: A Comparative Study of Rule-Based vs. LLM-Based Systems

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Samsung Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 2 Years – 9 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study examines how different robot dialogue systems (rule-based vs. large language model-based) and content types (emotional support vs. safety education) affect pediatric patients' responses during hospital-based robot-mediated interventions. Approximately 60 pediatric patients aged 2-9 years will be randomly assigned to interact with a social robot (LIKU) using either rule-based or LLM-based dialogue. Each child will participate in two activity sessions (emotional content and safety content) in randomized order. Primary outcomes include child engagement, emotional responses, robot perception, and activity preferences, assessed through standardized questionnaires (UEQ, Godspeed), child interviews, and behavioral observations. Additionally, 5 experts will evaluate content appropriateness and safety. This pilot study aims to provide foundational data for developing personalized pediatric robot programs in hospital settings, optimizing both dialogue approaches and content design based on individual child characteristics.

Conditions

• Pediatric Patients
• Pediatric Patients in Hospital Settings
• Hospitalized Children

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Robot-Mediated Emotional Support Activity	10-15 minute structured activity focusing on emotional recognition, expression, and regulation through storytelling, discussion, and artistic activities (drawing, physical expression) with the LIKU social robot
BEHAVIORAL	Robot-Mediated Safety Education Activity	10-15 minute structured activity focusing on safety awareness and emergency response behaviors through educational videos, discussions, and hands-on activities (crafts, physical practice) with the LIKU social robot

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-09
• Primary completion: 2027-01-30
• Completion: 2027-07-30
• First posted: 2026-02-05
• Last updated: 2026-02-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: South Korea