Talking to Alexia and Aitana from the hospital bed

BarcelonaCarlota (fictitious name) has just met the Barça first-team players from a bed at Sant Pau Hospital. Like other Barça players, it brings a boost of joy to her routine. After the visit, the young woman spends hours making a personalized bracelet for each of them. She also works with the pediatrics and clinical hematology department at Sant Pau Hospital. According to Tobajas, chemotherapy treatments cause immunosuppression and force children to drop out of school.

The Robot Project was born in 2017 with the aim of bringing "the Barça experience" to hospitalized children who cannot travel to the Barça facilities. Thanks to this initiative, children connect online to places like the Barça Museum. "Outside," says the psychologist. Technology acts as a distraction that reduces anxiety and improves children's mood. "The fact that the child is psychologically well favors their recovery," says Tobajas.

Awabot, the company that provides these robots to the Barça Foundation, states that children often feel excluded from their families, and the robots allow them to remain connected to their loved ones during hospitalization. As the company states, parents see a positive impact on their children's psychological well-being. Furthermore, healthcare professionals observe that "the child can be happy when they see their surroundings." According to the Barça Foundation, 100% of users felt important during the online interaction.

A moment of disconnection and euphoria in children's routine.

In the moments leading up to their connection with the players, the children are enthusiastic. "The Barça first-team players usually only visit Sant Pau Hospital at Christmas; the boys and girls tend to see the faces of the Barça women's players more often." The players participate in occasional in-person meetings and sign photographs or balls for the youngsters. Occasionally, the children and players even exchange letters. "Above all, they like it when the players refer to them by name; they feel like they're leaving the room for a moment," says the psychologist.

"The robots make sick children feel special because their classmates don't get to experience this." The experiences shared thanks to Pol and Joyce, the names of the two Barça Foundation robots, become topics of conversation with the rest of their classmates. "Plus, in the future, they can have fond memories of their stay in the hospital," adds Tobajas. Regarding sports activities among patients, some adolescents played soccer before hospitalization and particularly enjoy matches with their idols. Others don't follow soccer but are thrilled to talk to Barça players.

"The children spend many hours in their rooms, and we must ensure that all their needs are met." To accomplish this task, the Hospital de Sant Pau has a teacher on-site who is responsible for continuing the children's education. They also have other professionals who ensure they continue to have fun. In this effort to promote social and educational inclusion, according to Awabot, six thousand people have already accessed major sporting events thanks to technology.