CDR students worked with Children’s Mercy and T-Mobile to develop tools to help mitigate anxiety in pediatric patients

Students in the Fall 2025 University of Kansas Center for Design Research (CDR) studio had firsthand experience developing tools and processes to help pediatric patients manage the anxiety of being in the hospital. Working with Children’s Mercy pediatric hospital and T-Mobile, students developed several ways to address the problem in a project titled, “A Pediatric Primer on Anxiety Mitigation.”

 Given children's vulnerability, the project integrated AI and other emerging technologies to test groundbreaking solutions in pediatric anxiety management, thereby transforming how children perceive healthcare and enhancing their overall well-being.

 By capturing and analyzing real-time data about a child's emotional and physiological state, technology can inform caregivers about potential anxiety triggers and suggest appropriate interventions.

 Both Children’s Mercy and T-Mobile, a longtime supporter of the CDR, felt the concepts were unique and gave merit to the students for their work on the project.