Could a Robot Be a Friend?

When COVID-19 first hit, I was terrified to leave my home. As the father of three and a husband of 25 years, I felt helpless to protect my family as the narrative changed seemingly day-to-day. I knew fashioning medical masks from scarves was far from ideal, so I made masks for my family, friends, and any elderly customer that wanted one, using my 3D printer and some micron-level cloth filter material intended for residential HVAC systems. Still, I felt like I had no control over what was happening. The CDC reported in 2020 that between June 24 and 30, close to 40% of adults in the U.S. reported at least one adverse mental health concern--including anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicidal ideation, among others. UK-based researchers introduced the term "COVID-19 anxiety syndrome" in Psychiatry Research, noting avoidance, worrying, daily symptom checking, and threat monitoring as key traits.