Social robot 'Pepe' will encourage children to wash their hands more often, stay hygienic

Social robot 'Pepe' will nudge children studying in schools run by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee to adopt better hygiene practices. 'Pepe' developed by researchers from the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in India will be used in DSGMC schools to give a fresh approach to hygiene, said Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president of the Committee.

"Pepe robots each costing around Rs 7000 will be mounted on the wall above handwashing stations near washrooms to inspire nearly 20,000 children studying in coeducation institutions to wash their hands properly," he said. The speaking robot will interact with children as they will pass by the sink and encourage them to practise proper handwashing, Sirsa said.

The 12 branches of Guru Harkishan Public School, run by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee will install proper handwashing machines to promote hygiene practices among children, he said. "DSGMC will install handwashing stations that are appropriate for the school and place them in areas where they will best serve the students."School kids below 10 years from marginal sections of society who are most affected by poor sanitation and hygiene will be especially targeted under the programme, Sirsa said.

"An exclusive mobile app will be developed for monitoring the success of the programme. School teachers will take photos of hygiene practices adopted by children on the campus and post it on the mobile application regularly," he said. Under the initiative, teachers will have to click photos with various facilities inside schools, including hand-washing units, toilets and cleanliness of classrooms, play grounds and the campus to cultivate habit of handwashing and cleanliness among school students, Sirsa added.