The aces of info | Therapeutic clowns, a huge maze and delivery robots

Every Sunday, The Press broadcasts the content of Les As de l’info, a new youth digital platform entirely devoted to daily news.

Bring smiles to sick children

When sickness strikes, we need respite. Especially when you’re little. Did you know that there are therapeutic clowns who visit sick children in hospitals? This is what Cinthia Sabetti does, who is a therapeutic clown for the Fondation D^r Clown. Since 2018, his Kytkat character has been delighting children who stay in hospitals.

What made you want to become a therapeutic clown?

It’s by watching a documentary on doctor clowns. I had been an animation clown before getting involved in the Foundation. When I saw the documentary, I said to myself, “That’s what I’m going to do. »

What’s your job like when you’re in the hospital?

We go in, we get ready. Then we have a moment with our playing partner to agree. On a typical day in a hospital, we go to the different floors to make rounds. We meet the children, some of whom have asked for the intervention of clowns. We work with specialized educators who inform us about the children and tell us which children to go see.

How old are the children you meet?

The ages of the children vary. We work with babies and children up to the age of 18. It’s rarer to meet 18-year-olds because we’re in children’s hospitals.

Is there a meeting that particularly marked you?

Yes, there are so many! There was a child who had been sick for a while and was sad and a bit depressed because he was often in the hospital. That day, I was with a male partner. He had the right to enter the room, but I couldn’t. The child refused to allow me to enter because he was tired of seeing women enter his room, for example doctors, nurses, etc.

So Kytkat wanted to enter the boy’s room, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t because the door was closed and she didn’t know how to open it! She tried to enter through the window, but it was impossible: the windows were welded!

The boy was with the other clown. It was the child who decided what happened that day. Kytkat never entered his room, which gave the boy enormous power. What we’re doing is giving a lot of power back to the child. It also brings lightness, joy.

What do you like best about your job?

The relationship with people. The part I like the most is when I see a look light up. To see a child stop crying or smiling because the clown managed to get him out of his pain. Whether through play or imagination, we develop a bond with the child, with the parent, and with the play partner too. That’s what I love most about my job. When we are able to soothe the pain of a child, that we manage to take him out of his reality for the time of a visit.

The largest maze in the world is in Quebec

It’s in La Pocatière, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, that adventure seekers can explore the Grand Labyrinthe Kamouraska, proud holder of the record for the largest corn maze in the world! A feat confirmed by the renowned Guinness Book of Records.

Would you like to try your luck? Expect to have to cover nearly 21 kilometers of trail, finely cut in a field of corn cobs. Conceived ! The route represents a length equivalent to 200 football fields.

Luc Pelletier is the one who created this great project. A project he led with his two daughters, his wife and his mother. It’s a family story !

Cultivate patience

The creator tells the Aces of the info to have started to cut his labyrinth on the 1^er June 2022, to finish… on September 17! So a little more than three months were required to shape the imposing agricultural land.

Surprising fact: Luc Pelletier explains to us that he broke, crushed, cut and tore off one by one, by hand (and with the precious help of his relatives), each ear of corn. Hard work, as they say!

Losing his bearings

Luc Pelletier assures us that it is impossible to get lost in a labyrinth. “We have to assume that we may pass the same path five times! he says, but logic dictates that everyone eventually gets out of it.

And what if someone is truly lost? To this question, the Bas-Laurentien answers us, jokingly, that we simply have to follow “people who seem less lost than us”.

This plant trail is a great opportunity to cooperate with other visitors, who are often unknown. “You shouldn’t be afraid to talk to the people you meet. They will help you, for sure! “, proudly specifies the one who will soon receive his official certificate from Guinness World Records.

A promising next season

For now, the season is over. The corn field was even threshed by agricultural machinery in order to harvest all the grain. So we will have to start all over again next year. However, the 2023 season looks promising for this family activity, as the organizer intends to surpass itself year after year.

Do delivery robots exist?

Smart little robots that deliver your pizza in an eco-responsible way: it could soon be part of your reality! I explain to you.

This delivery robot project is a reality right here in Canada. It all came about thanks to restaurants like Pizza Hut, which use small robots on wheels to deliver their pizzas.

This type of extraordinary delivery is also made possible thanks to the company Serve Robotic, which is located in Vancouver. Many citizens and consumers of this city have seen their food arrive at their doorstep, delivered by this little robot.

The company builds robots of all kinds. It’s pretty awesome, right?

One more step for the environment

In addition to being efficient, this little robot is good for the environment. Indeed, it pollutes much less than a delivery man who travels by car. It is estimated that around 2% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to people who take their car to run errands in their neighbourhood.

“Why deliver a two-pound burrito with a two-ton vehicle? asks Serve Robotic.

Several concerns

Many people are still worried about this innovation. Many are worried about possible accidents on sidewalks or roads.

The Serve Robotic director points out that all robots alert people to their presence by making a sound and flashing lights. They are also equipped with a guidance system and emergency brakes allowing them to avoid collisions.

Others believe that these machines could steal the jobs of several delivery workers.

Main objectives

It should be remembered that the purpose of these robots is to reduce traffic, encourage local commerce and help restaurants deliver meals to their customers at a lower cost.

Innovation and novelty can sometimes scare people, despite all the positive it brings. Moreover, several cities like Ottawa have banned this service.