Robo-therapy consists of the interaction between patients and robotic creatures in order to help patients build a positive attitude towards fighting a disease [1] .  ...  This technical improvement in the Pleo addresses two key issues in social robotics: needing an enhanced response to maintain the attention and engagement of the child, and using the system as a platform  ...  Declarations Publication of this article was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Published: 15 July 2016  ...