TuDiabetes Live Interview with the creators of Jerry the Bear

Aaron Horowitz — Chief Executive Officer

Aaron handles the hardware development, interaction design, IP strategy, business development and manufacturing relationships. He is also responsible for hiring key technical staff to build core competencies in mobile development. Aaron graduated from Northwestern University cum laude with a degree in mechatronics and user interaction design — a major he created to gain the technical know-how needed to execute Sproutel’s broad vision.

Hannah Chung — Chief Creative Officer

Hannah focuses on the overall design and user interaction of the product, medical content/curriculum, marketing, branding and customer relationships. Hannah was named one of Inc Magazine’s “Top 15 Women to Watch in Tech” in 2012. Previously, she has co-founded Design for America — a national student organization that helps student solve local social problems through design. Hannah holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University.

Jerry the Bear

Sproutel is the creator of interactive learning games for children with a chronic illness. Their first creation, Jerry the Bear, is a best friend for children diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Jerry the Bear is not an ordinary teddy bear, but an interactive learning tool. Using the principles of game based learning and Empathetic Robotics, children care for Jerry by monitoring his blood glucose levels, “feeding” him a proper diet and “administering” insulin when needed through various sensors on his body. Since Jerry’s condition mirrors their own, learning from Jerry takes the fear out of the affliction, while also teaching the child how to manage their own condition.

Jerry the Bear comes pre-loaded with a game in which the objective is to help him train for the Olympics. This creates a fun goal that children can strive toward, entirely independent from the skills that they have to learn. Since users are reaching a goal, they are encouraged to learn from their mistakes so that they can succeed within the game. The game is further constructed to unfold like a story — creating engagement and immersion in the goal of helping Jerry win the Olympics.

Category: Nonprofits & Activism
Uploaded by: Diabetes Hands Foundation
Hosted: youtube