AI robot 'friend' launched to chat and play games with lonely elderly
AI robot 'friend' launched to chat and play games with
lonely elderly
By Sarah Knapton, science editor 11 JANUARY 2017 * 5:56PM
A talking robot which chats to elderly people, reminding
them to take their medication and stay active, has been launched in London.
Elli.Q, which is one of the most advanced social
companion robots in the world, has been designed to convey emotion through
different speech tones, lights and body language to be as engaging as possible.
The little robot suggests activities such as reading,
going for a walk, playing games to keep mentally active or phoning friends and
family.
Elli.Q could never replace human interaction, but it can
be an important motivating factor in keeping older adults healthy and active
when living alone.
Yves Behar, founder of Fuseproject
And she is programmed to learn what her owner enjoys,
gradually tailoring her programming to fit.
Elli.Q has been developed by Intuition Robotics to
prevent older people feeling socially isolated, and keep them connected to
family and friends.
The robot, which was launched at the Design Museum in
London on Monday, suggests activities such as reading, listening to music or
going for a walk and reminds users about appointments.
"Loneliness and social isolation are the result of
longevity, and technology has made the problem worse by requiring older adults
to learn new technical skills in order to accomplish the simplest of
tasks," says Dor Skuler, CEO and Founder of Intuition Robotics.
"Our goal is to leverage a combination of our
proprietary technology, gerontology know-how and elegant design toempower older
adults to intuitively interact with technology and easily connect with content
and loved ones, and pursue an active lifestyle.
"We like to think of her as part communication
coordinator, part arbiter of lifelong learning and part coach. She's easy to
talk to, simple to operate and understands her owner."
According to Age UK, nearly half of all people aged 75
and over live alone and more than a million say they always or often feel
lonely . Thirty-six percent speak to less than one person a day and 11 per cent
say they spent five days or more each month without seeing anyone.
Nearly half of older people 49 per cent of 65+ UK say that
television or pets are their main form of company.
Elli.Q's design was created in collaboration with Yves
Behar, founder of Fuseproject. It is
comprised of two separate elements, a 'social director' robot which sits
alongside a tablet.
Mr Behar said: "The idea of having a robot companion
is quite dystopian, especially for older generations.
"Through years of research, we were able to develop
a design language and user experience that feels natural, with subtle
expressions to develop a unique bond between Elli.Q and its owner.
"Elli.Q could never replace human interaction, but
it can be an important motivating factor in keeping older adults healthy and
active when living alone."
Intuition Robotics will be starting a trial phase in the
homes of older adults in San Francisco in February 2017.
A nice article here, i think that people who have grown up with the idea of using computers are showing more responsibility towards writing posts that are thoughtful, do not have grammar mistakes and pertinent to the post..
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