BRISTOL, Conn. — 76-year old Suanne McMahon has a new companion in her Bristol apartment – a three-and-a-half-foot tall robot named “Cutii”.
Cutii is part of Hartford Healthcare’s new pilot program to help connect their senior citizen patients with caregivers, family, and peers during the pandemic.
Social by nature, Suanne happily said of her new robot roommate, “it's been a plus and I think it’s a very wonderful idea.”
The Cutii Robot, one of two now deployed by Hartford Healthcare, helps McMahon with telemedicine appointments, video calls with her family, and even with exercise classes that she can take life on the robot’s screen.
Eric Smullen, the vice president of operations for Hartford Healthcare’s Community Network said, “social interaction can do so much so anything that engages people when they are in place is a great thing.”
The Cutii Robot is an import from a French manufacturer, Hartford Healthcare has plans to expand the pilot program, with as many as a dozen robots being used by the end of the year.
McMahon added, “it could totally brighten days for so many people.”\
