Courier Mail, Page: 30
By Janelle Miles
A robot named Giggle is giving children with cancer something to
laugh about.
The Camp Quality mascot visits cancer patients at the Royal
Children's Hospital in Brisbane every Thursday.
Toowoomba comedian Mark Gladman operates the robot with a remote
control and headset.
"When I speak, Giggle's mouth moves and my voice comes out of
the robot," Mr Gladman said. "Giggle goes into a room, tells jokes,
has a good laugh with the kids and for that couple of minutes
brings respite.
"We've seen children who haven't laughed because of the trauma
of their treatment for cancer, actually laugh... because Giggle 's
been able to come in and brighten up their day." Mr Gladman
normally stays outside the ward while Giggle and a volunteer move
around the room talking with the children.
"He went into a room one day and a little boy just sat down and
started a conversation and about two minutes into the conversation,
he looked at Giggle and said: How do you fit the boy inside
there'?" Mr Gladman said. "We thought that was quite funny.
That's how real Giggle looks."