The axes of information | Medical clowns, a huge maze and delivery bots

Every Sunday, The print broadcasts the contents of Les As de l’info, a new digital platform for young people entirely dedicated 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? So does Cinthia Sabetti, therapeutic clown for the D Foundation^r Clown. Since 2018, the character of him Kytkat has been delighting hospitalized children.

What inspired you to become a therapeutic clown?

It’s watching a documentary about clown doctors. I had been an animation clown before getting involved with the Foundation. When I saw the documentary, I said to myself: “This is what I’m going to do. »

How is your work when you are in the hospital?

We go in, we get ready. Then we have a moment with our playmate to agree. On a typical day in a hospital, we go to the different floors to walk around. We meet the children, some of whom have asked for the clowns to intervene. 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?

Children’s ages 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 an encounter that particularly marked you?

Yes, there are so many! There was a little boy who had been ill for some time and he was sad and a little depressed because he was often in the hospital. I was with a male partner that day. He had the right to enter the room, but I didn’t. The boy refused to let me in because he was tired of seeing women enter his room, for example doctors, nurses, etc.

Then Kytkat wanted to enter the boy’s room, but could not. He couldn’t because the door was closed and he didn’t know how to open it! He tried to get in through the window, but it was impossible: the windows were welded!

The boy was with the other clown. It was the boy 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. He also brings lightness, joy.

What do you like most about your job?

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

The largest maze in the world is in Quebec

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

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

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

Cultivate patience

The creator tells the Aces information that he started cutting his maze on the 1^um June 2022, to finish… on September 17th! It therefore took just over three months to shape the impressive farmland.

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

Losing orientation

Luc Pelletier assures us that it is impossible to get lost in a labyrinth. “We have to assume that we could walk the same route five times! he says he, but logic dictates that everyone eventually walks out.

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

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

Promising next season

For now the season is over. The cornfield was even threshed with agricultural machinery to collect all the grain. So we’ll have to start all over again next year. However, the 2023 season looks promising for this family business, as the organizer intends to outdo itself year after year.

Are there delivery robots?

Small intelligent 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 started with restaurants like Pizza Hut using little robots on wheels to deliver their pizzas.

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

The company builds robots of all kinds. It’s really cool, isn’t it?

One more step for the environment

Besides being efficient, this little robot is good for the environment. Indeed, it pollutes much less than a delivery boy traveling by car. An estimated 2% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to people who take their car to run errands in their neighborhood.

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

Several concerns

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

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

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

Main goals

It should be remembered that the purpose of these bots 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 they bring. Additionally, several cities such as Ottawa have banned this service.