Poorly children were delighted to be visited by a team of robot football stars – including Usain Volt and The Mobot.
Ahead of this year’s Children in Need, ten members of Plymouth University’s RoboSoccer team were taken to visit sick children in Derriford Hospital, where they proved a big hit.
The robots, led by team captain Usain Volt, donned Pudsey Bear-style eye patches for the visit, held ahead of this year’s Children In Need event.
Youngsters were even given a chance to take the control of the £4000 state-of-the-art robot athletes.
Robotics Professor Dr Phil Culverhouse said: “The robots are always a big attraction, and capture the imagination of everyone they meet – and it was certainly no exception at the hospital.
“We had them dressed for the occasion and let the children take control in a series of competitions, including a sprint event.
“It is a great way of introducing children to exciting new technology that could become a big part of their lives in the future.”
The robot football team, and in particular The Mobot and Usain Volt, enjoyed international success at this summer’s RoboWorldCup in Bristol, with The Mobot coming top in the marathon.
Sam Cartwright, from the Play Specialists team at the Plymouth hospital said: “Seeing the smile on the children’s faces was fantastic.
“We are fortunate to have various types of visits to our Play Centre, but to have to have something as different as these robots really brightened up the children’s visit to hospital.
“Parents and staff thoroughly enjoyed it as well.”
