WallBo: A Social Robot for Fostering Hand Hygiene For Children

Hand hygiene is a critical public health intervention, yet habit formation remains elusive among children in resource-constrained environments. We present WallBo, a low-cost social robot designed to teach WHO handwashing techniques. Building upon our previous cross-cultural study which utilised teleoperation and identified a sharp “novelty drop-off” in engagement, this iteration features upgraded interaction and hardware, a refined physical design, and fully autonomous operation. To sustain long-term handwashing compliance, WallBo integrates three novel mechanisms: (1) Augmented Reality Gamification with “Virtual Germs” to bridge the gap between abstract infection risk and concrete preventive action; (2) Velocity-Adaptive Verbal Scaffolding for real-time sensorimotor feedback; and (3) Optical Flow fallback for occlusion handling. Unlike cloud-dependent systems, WallBo operates entirely offline on edge hardware, ensuring privacy by design. This demonstration allows attendees to interact with WallBo’s adaptive logic, experiencing how embodied, autonomous AI can bridge gaps in motor skills and learning development in the handwashing context.