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WallBo – The handwashing robot buddy

WallBo – The handwashing robot buddy

Preventable infectious diseases remain a global health crisis, often driven by poor compliance with hand hygiene standards. Current solutions, like passive posters or automated soap dispensers, lack the interactivity required to sustain behavioural change in young children. WallBo addresses this gap as an “Embodied Tutor”. It is a portable, low-cost social robot that uses privacy-preserving computer vision to perceive how well a child washes their hands. Unlike passive sensors that only detect presence, WallBo assesses motor proficiency against WHO guidelines. It provides real-time, adaptive scaffolding, physically mimicking correct washing motions on its screen and offering verbal encouragement when technique falters.

Critically, WallBo is designed for Privacy-by-Design. All AI processing runs locally on the device (Edge AI), ensuring no images of children ever leave the washroom. By gamifying the experience and autonomously adapting its guidance to the child’s skill level, WallBo sustains engagement over long periods. Originally piloted in schools in UK and India, WallBo represents a scalable, ethical application of “Physical AI” that democratizes access to health education, directly supporting good health and clean Water and sanitation.

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  • Organization
    ETH Zurich - Social Brain Sciences Group
  • Profession
    Low-cost, portable social robot designed to teach children proper handwashing techniques
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