Unfortunately, there is less and less to laugh about these days. This is extremely important, especially for children. Did you know that a child typically laughs over 400 times a day? Adults only laugh 40 times a day. Children in hospitals only laugh 10 times a day, or even less. That’s why there have been clowns for over 30 years who cheer up children in hospitals with their visit. But unfortunately they only come once a week or even only once a month. And then only for a few minutes.
It has been known for decades that laughter makes you healthy and helps to have less fear and pain. Now there is a solution that makes it possible to give children in hospitals that all-important smile at any time. FredARico the world‘s first virtual clinic clown! It was developed by the startup SO GEHT WOW from Munich, Germany. Its founder Markus Strobl has been collecting everything about clowns since early childhood and even met the greatest clowns such as Charlie Rivel, Oleg Popov and Francesco Caroli. All are already deceased. Strobl has also worked for 12 years in the management of the largest European circuses (Roncalli and Krone) and has worked with the best clowns of modern times, such as Fumagalli. “We have collected, cataloged and digitized over 1000 clown scenes.
These were then analyzed with the help of artificial intelligence, among other things. The key experiences that trigger laughter in the human brain were summarized in humorous and poetic laughter experiences. Adapted to the human brain impulses, trigger scenes are processed in the clown performances. In different levels of laughter, the virtual clinic clown FredARico helps to release cuddle hormones and reduce stress in the body. Or simply put, that children in clinics and facilities have more to laugh about again, that the overworked nursing staff worldwide have a tool to calm and distract children before and during treatments. Or give them something to dream about before they fall asleep that takes away their loneliness in the evening.
Because the virtual clinic clown FredARico is conjured up with the children in the room or in front of you on your hospital bed using augmented reality technology. All you need is a smartphone or tablet with an internet connection and a magical FredARico book. These were designed by the original artists of global children’s heroes Benjamin Blümchen. Doctors and nursing staff are enthusiastic. “FredARico can always be there for the children 24/7. He crawls over your bed covers in 3D. Markus M. Lerch, the medical director of the world-famous LMU Klinikum in Munich. The virtual clinic clown started there in March 2022. The clown has now been loaded more than 1.5 million times by children in clinics. Even the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek congratulated “An exciting digital project that can complement the valuable work of the clinic clowns.” Meanwhile, FredARico the virtual clinic clown is already in use in over 40 clinics in 3 countries. Among other things, in coping with the dreams of the children who fled from the war in Ukraine. The official start for use with dementia patients will soon follow. According to the Lower Saxony Academy for Health and Social Affairs, the use of FredARICO is “very suitable” here too. Maybe one day he will be the most famous clown in the world. “With the clowns, FredARico is like combining the abilities of Pele, Beckenbauer, Messi, Beckham, Ronaldo and Neymar in one person in football.” . Certainly soon a goal for many investors, because the startup still has many plans. “We get requests for FredARico from all over the world.
We are also planning to build clown houses where children and adults can recover from the mental stress of being in hospital together with FredARico. For example after a bad earthquake, like recently in Turkey, or a war in Ukraine and definitely also in Africa,” says Markus Strobl, the start-up founder and inventor of FredARico, the world‘s first virtual clinic clown. Many celebrities like FC Bayern legend Giovane Elber, The VOICE presenter Melissa Khalaj, actor Ben Becker, comedian Annette Frier or Michi Beck from the “Fantastischen Vier” support this project. It would be nice if FredARico could bring laughter to as many children around the world as possible. As mentioned at the beginning, this is more important today than ever.
More information at: www.fredarico.com
We are also planning to build clown houses where children and adults can recover from the mental stress of being in hospital together with FredARico.
Contact
SO GEHT WOW UG & Co. KG
Markus Strobl
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