The Power of Avatars

What if technology could make a frightened child feel safer, less alone, or better understood, without replacing the human beings who care for them? In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, three innovators share how avatars, robots, and wearable sensors are creating new possibilities in pediatric care. Erin Bogdanski, licensed therapist and founder of THERA VR, describes how VR with customizable avatar technology may open new doors for therapy with traumatized and hard-to-reach children, giving patients the ability to choose what their therapist looks like, and to engage in ways that video-only sessions haven't achieved. She also shares what's coming next: biometric HRV monitoring and AI-assisted session documentation. Karen Khachikyan, founder of Robin the Robot, shares how a socially assistive robot deployed across more than 40 pediatric facilities is giving hospitalized children something they often lack: a peer. Robin uses Human Assist AI, human operators with clinical training facilitating every interaction in real time, to engage children during procedures, reduce fear, and provide genuine companionship during difficult hospital stays. Dr. Molly Easterlin, neonatologist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, explains an early-stage research project exploring whether wearable motion sensors on NICU babies can add a new layer of signal for sepsis detection and long-term neurodevelopmental prediction, treating movement as a quantitative vital sign in one of medicine's most challenging and vulnerable settings. Topics covered in this episode: -VR therapy with customizable avatars for children -Patient empowerment through therapist avatar selection -HRV biometrics in telehealth mental health -AI-assisted clinical documentation -Social robots as companions for hospitalized children -Human Assist AI and the limits of automation in sensitive clinical interactions -Robin the Robot: field observations and use cases -Sepsis in the NICU: detection challenges and current standard of care -Wearable motion sensors in neonatal intensive care -Antibiotic stewardship and the false positive challenge in NICU sepsis -Movement as a potential vital sign A Dose of Optimism is a podcast from KidsX, dedicated to the innovators, ideas, and solutions shaping the future of pediatric healthcare. 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📺 Subscribe on YouTube:    / @dose_of_optimism   Connect with Erin Bogdanski: →Erin Bogdanski LinkedIn (  / erin-bogdanski-ceo-ma-psychotherapist-5210...  ) →THERA Inc. LinkedIn (  / thera-inc  ) Connect with Karen Khachikyan: →Karen Khachikyan LinkedIn (  / karenkhachikyan  ) →Robin the Robot Website (https://robinrobot.com/) Connect with Dr. Molly Easterlin: →Dr. Molly Easterlin CHLA (https://www.chla.org/profile/molly-ea...) Connect with us: →Children's Hospital L.A. Website (https://www.chla.org/) →Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram (  / childrensla  ) →Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn (  / childrensla  ) →KidsX Website (https://www.kidsx.health/) →KidsX LinkedIn (  / kidsx  ) →For more episode resources, please check out our blog (https://kidsx.health/podcast/) The content, views, opinions, and information presented on this podcast do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles or of the sponsors of the podcast. CHLA does not endorse the views, opinions and information presented on this podcast and CHLA specifically disclaims any legal liability or responsibility for the podcast’s content. #ADoseOfOptimism #PediatricHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #ChildrensHealth #DigitalHealth #KidsX #MentalHealth #AIinHealthcare #NICUCare #VRTherapy #AvatarTherapy #RobinTheRobot #SocialRobot #NICUSepsis #WearableSensors #PediatricMentalHealth #TeleHealth #TherapyInVR #NeonatalCare