A common denominator for most therapy treatments for children who suffer from an anxiety disorder is daily practice routines to learn techniques needed to overcome anxiety. However, applying those techniques while experiencing anxiety can be highly challenging. This paper presents the design, implementation, and pilot study of a tactile hand-held pocket robot AffectaPocket, designed to work alongside therapy as a focus object to facilitate coping during an anxiety attack. The robot does not require daily practice to be used, has a small form factor, and has been designed for children 7 to 12 years old. The pocket robot works by sensing when it is being held and attempts to shift the child's focus by presenting them with a simple three-note rhythm-matching game. We conducted a pilot study of the pocket robot involving four children aged 7 to 10 years, and then a main study with 18 children aged 6 to 8 years; neither study involved children with anxiety. Both studies aimed to assess the reliability of the robot's sensor configuration, its design, and the effectiveness of the user tutorial. The results indicate that the morphology and sensor setup performed adequately and the tutorial process enabled the children to use the robot with little practice. This work demonstrates that the presented pocket robot could represent a step toward developing low-cost accessible technologies to help children suffering from anxiety disorders.

翻译：针对患有焦虑症儿童的大多数治疗方案都有一个共同点：需要通过日常练习来掌握克服焦虑所需的技巧。然而，在经历焦虑时应用这些技巧可能极具挑战性。本文介绍了触觉手持式口袋机器人AffectaPocket的设计、实施与初步研究。该机器人旨在作为辅助治疗工具，在焦虑发作时作为焦点物体帮助儿童应对情绪。该机器人无需日常练习即可使用，具有小巧的外形，专为7至12岁儿童设计。其工作原理是通过感应被握持状态，引导儿童进行简单的三音符节奏匹配游戏，从而转移其注意力。我们首先对4名7至10岁儿童开展了初步研究，随后对18名6至8岁儿童进行了主体研究（两项研究均未纳入焦虑症患儿）。研究旨在评估机器人传感器配置的可靠性、设计合理性及用户引导教程的有效性。结果表明，机器人的形态结构与传感器设置表现良好，引导教程能使儿童在少量练习后即可操作设备。本研究表明，所提出的口袋机器人为开发低成本、易获取的辅助技术以帮助焦虑症儿童迈出了探索性的一步。