Using the Social Robot NAO for Emotional Support to Children at a Pediatric Emergency Department: Randomized Clinical Trial

Silvia Rossi   ^{1 *} , Prof Dr ;   Silvano Junior Santini   ^{2 *} , PhD ;   Daniela Di Genova   ² , MD ;   Gianpaolo Maggi   ³ , BSc ;   Alberto Verrotti   ⁴ , MD ;   Giovanni Farello   ⁵ , MD ;   Roberta Romualdi   ² , MD ;   Anna Alisi   ⁶ , PhD ;   Alberto Eugenio Tozzi   ⁷ , MD ;   Clara Balsano   ² , MD

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University Federico II-Naples, Naples, Italy

² Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, School of Emergency and Urgency Medicine, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy

³ Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy

⁴ Department of Pediatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

⁵ Pediatric Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy

⁶ Research Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy

⁷ Multifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy

*these authors contributed equally