MS Thesis Defense: Jonathan Bonilla Toledo

"Smart Toys for Sensing and Soothing Distress in Pediatric Patients"

Abstract

This thesis develops and evaluates child-centered technologies to support remote monitoring of pediatric patients, with an emphasis on childhood cancer and pediatric chronic pain. For these and many other health conditions, current therapies tend to focus on treating physical symptoms yet neglect the psycho-emotional aspects of managing the illness. However, such mental states play a major role in recovery. Research has shown that cancer patients with better mental health have better prognoses, higher possibilities of remission, and faster healing processes, while chronic pain patients with better mental health report lower levels of pain. To enable more personalized, continuous, and scalable monitoring of emotional status and distress in pediatric patients, this thesis works to develop an affordable, acceptable sensor device with a toy-based form factor that can be deployed in both clinical and home settings to augment care.

Specifically, we report on the design, implementation, and evaluation of prototypes that integrate sensors for assessing markers of distress related to heart rate, oximetry, and movement. Results indicate that these sensor signals are useful emotional measures for therapists and families and that the toy-based design appeals to children, promotes playful engagement, and scores very high on measures of enjoyment and likeability. Preliminary findings related to the potential for the toy to deliver adaptive interventions and/or therapeutic support indicate an improvement in overall mood after half an hour of playing with the device. Future steps include optimizing the microcontroller functions, creating machine learning algorithms to predict behavioral patterns, and improving therapeutic components (e.g., soothing) and just-in-time support. Overall, this project lays the foundations for future technological enhancements at the intersection of healthcare technology and therapeutic play.

Thesis Committee

• Elizabeth Murnane (Chair)
• Michele Tine
• Vicki May

Contact

For more information, contact Thayer Registrar at thayer.registrar@dartmouth.edu.