“My Special Aflac Duck” Takes Home Best of CES 2018 Award

Aflac capped off a busy week at the Consumer Electronics Show by accepting the Best of CES 2018 Award for Best Unexpected Product for “My Special Aflac Duck,” the new social robot designed to help children coping with cancer. The smart companion was created by Sproutel, a research and development workshop focused on making health care playful, based on a year of child-centered research conducted by Sproutel at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The Best of CES Awards celebrate the innovation and noteworthy products on display by the more than 3,900 exhibitors at CES each year. “My Special Aflac Duck” was also recognized as the winner of the prestigious “Tech for a Better World” CES Innovation Award and the IHS Markit Innovation Award for Robotics and Drones at CES 2018.

“Understandably, many people were surprised to see an insurance company and a duck at CES – the global stage for innovation. Aflac is grateful that attendees took the time to learn about My Special Aflac Duck and recognize not only the impressive technology built into the social robot, but the important impact that we believe it will have on the children and families facing cancer across the country,” Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. “Receiving this award confirms our core belief that investing in creating tangible ways to improve our world is good for our communities and our business, and we invite others to support this worthy cause.