- Meyko is a connected guy who helps sick children to accept their often restrictive treatment.
- The object, marketed for a few months, also serves as a link between families and the doctor.
He looks sad when it is time for medication, but the smile returns as soon as the seal is taken. Meyko, a connected little guy, is helping more and more children with diabetes, epilepsy or cystic fibrosis. Originally designed for small asthmatics, this invention created four years ago in Nantes (and presented at the CES show in Las Vegas which takes place until Sunday) is now aimed at all children affected by a chronic disease. They would be close to 4 million in France.
Marketed a few months ago after a long phase of research and a crowdfunding campaign, the little blue robot is now part of the daily life of 400 patients. He even invited himself to the pediatrics departments of several CHUs in France, such as that of the Necker hospital. Objective: to help the children to follow but also to accept an often heavy treatment, which sometimes requires several catches per day. The small object recognizes the medicine thanks to an identification badge. The child then strokes his hand to tell him that the seal is taken.
@HelloMeyko, my Lili is taming her Meyko,
We finally figured out how to make him smile 😊 pic.twitter.com/MQSel3njwY
"Meyko is used to play down this ritual, whether it is an injection, a syrup, or an inhaler," explains Sandrine Bender, its 28-year-old founder, herself asthmatic. Parents tell us that it softens things, that motivation comes back. This is very important because irregular treatment can lead to complications, seizures and hospitalizations. "
A diary for parents
In addition to being a companion who reminds and reassures, Meyko also serves as a logbook for families. Connected to a smartphone application, it offers parents to annotate the times of taking (and share them with grandparents or the nanny) but also all the symptoms or important events to report to the doctor. “This allows a more precise diagnosis, assures Sandrine Bender, whose invention has already received twenty awards. The doctor knows that the treatment is correctly taken, he can thus refine the dosage, schedule examinations if necessary… ”
By the end of the year, the Nantes start-up with four employees hopes that 1,500 small patients will have their own Meyko. It has just signed a partnership with Philips, which for its part is working on more efficient inhalers. Distributed on its website (at a price of 129 euros) and available via certain pharmacies, Meyko is looking for other distributors, in France and in Europe.
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- Asthma
- High-Tech
- Nantes
- Las Vegas
- Health