A Virtual Companion to Support Children with Type 1 Diabetes

The EU research project PAL (http://pal4u@eu) aims at providing
children, parents and healthcare professionals with a system that
supports children with type 1 diabetes (age 7-12) in learning
to gradually manage their condition autonomously. One of the core
aspects is the use of a virtual personal assistant that comes in
two forms: as a physical robot they meet during treatment session
in a hospital and as a virtual character in a tablet app they
take home. Both are supposed to be perceived as a single entity,
looking and behaving identically in the two modes.

PAL, now at the end of its fourth year, managed to implement an
integrated system that fosters a long-term use of a virtual companion
that is equipped with memory about former events and interactions,
which supports experiencing it as a real pal.