Nurse-Led Design and Prototype Development of a Smart Care Robot to Support Mental Well-Being in Nursing and Health Care Students: A Proof-of-Concept.

BACKGROUND: Smart care robots are rarely developed for younger adults, particularly nursing and health care students, and seldom integrate nursing expertise into design. PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the codesign and proof-of-concept development of a nurse-led smart care robot to support students' emotional well-being and mental health, and to examine its relevance as an educational innovation in nursing. METHODS: Nurses and technology experts collaboratively developed a first-generation prototype using a multilayered artificial intelligence architecture. The robot incorporated voice-based companionship, emotion recognition, personalized supportive content, social connection, unobtrusive psychological assessment, and gamified counseling activities. RESULTS: The prototype showed feasibility in delivering responsive, student-centered emotional support through multilingual communication and emotion-sensitive interaction, with potential to complement existing strategies for addressing loneliness, stress, and psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: This nurse-led smart care robot represents a promising innovation in nursing education. Further usability, acceptability, and effectiveness testing is warranted.