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Oct. 31, 2014 | By Alec

It goes without saying that 3D printing is a wonderful technology for developing personalized toys. Every day, we see new and exciting 3D printable toys appear only, suitable for both children and childish adults to have fun with. But did you know that 3D printed toys can also have a therapeutic application?

That is what scientists from the MIT Media Lab have shown us with their "Huggable": a 3D printed teddy bear that not only looks absolutely adorable, but is also filled with a load of electronics and sensors that will help parents, grandparents and paediatricians interact with young children.

Perhaps the cutest 3D print we've ever seen, this teddy bear has been in production for several years. In 2006, a prototype design was shown to nursery children in the Scottish town of Avoch, near Inverness. The project is supported by scientists from Highlands and Islands Entreprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Since then, MIT Media Lab's Personal Robots Group has worked with Chinese manufacturing company Jetta on the redesign of Huggable's mechanical components.

Sooyeon Jeong, who works on the project, told BBC that 'The robot integrates an Android smart phone for its computing power and sensors, and is in much smaller size, which makes it more portable and easy to set up. "Now, the robot looks more infant-like and can portray more expressive gestures, compared to the older version of Huggable."

As scientists from the MIT Media Lab revealed, this teddy bear was developed for medical, educational and communicative applications:. Its main purpose is to enhance human relationships by functioning as a visual and audio tool for long-distance communication. 'Grandparents who want to talk to young grandchildren, teachers instructing students, or healthcare providers communicating with patients could all enrich their interactions using the robot.'

All in all, the Huggable teddy bear features more than 1500 sensors on its skin, video cameras in its eyes, microphones in its ears, a speaker in its mouth, and an embedded PC that is capable of steering everything with 802.11g wireless networking. And a child can still lift it effortlessly and cuddle with it.

The robot has also been specifically designed to not appear and feel like an emotionless robot. 'The movements, gestures and expressions of the bear convey a personality-rich character, not a robotic artefact,' scientists explained. 'A soft silicone-based skin covers the entire bear to give it a more lifelike feel and heft, so you do not feel the technology underneath.'

Even more than a plush doll, it's supposed to give the sensation of cuddling with a puppy.

Through its internet connection, the Huggable enables remote people to view the child through the bear's eyes, hear them through the bear's ears and talk to them through the bear's mouth. A grandparent, parent or paediatrician can easily enter text for the robot to speak via speech synthesis, while you can even send commands for giggling or other emotional responses. They can then watch the child's facial reaction on the screen and listen to their response. This way, you can interact with your child without even being in the room.

But it's far more than a webcam. Based on the therapeutic concept of companion animals, it has a number of touch-based features as well. The robot's neural network can recognize a very impressive nine different classes of touch, such as tickling and poking, and even these classes can generate six different types of responses, such as teasing pleasant, punishment light, and so on.

The robot can even be programmed to remember the faces of specific people, and can then track the moving faces without external control. A joystick control option has even been developed to allow users to move the robot's head vertically and horizontally.

And impressively, most of the physical parts of the Huggable have been prototyped and made with a 3D printer. In the YouTube clip below, the bear's interior is revealed, showing off an almost wholly 3D printed 'skeleton'.

Aside from the already known communication application of the Huggable bear, the MIT team is currently working with staff and patients at the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit and the Oncology Unit at Boston Children's Hospital to explore how 3D printed bears can be used to better understand their underage patients. After all, an animal companion is a far better tool for tracking how pain, stress, and anxiety affect a child's wellbeing than most doctors are.

Could 3D printed teddy bears hold the key to improving the health of children everywhere? Let's hope so.

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

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