Communications of the ACM
A Personalized Robot Companion for Older People
This robot designed to assist the elderly, equipped with wheels, cameras, sensors, audio, and a touchscreen interface, is the product of a collaboration by research institutes, universities, and technology companies in seven European countries over 33 mon
Credit: Mobiserve Project
European Union-funded researchers have created a customizable robot companion to assist elderly people, which could become available to consumers within two to three years.
The semi-humanoid robot is equipped with wheels, cameras, sensors, audio, and a touchscreen interface. A consortium of research institutes, universities, and technology companies in seven European countries created the robot over 33 months through the EU-funded MOBISERV project.
"This has been a very broad project, we've worked not only on the robot but also integrating it with a smart-home system and with smart clothes," says Herjan van den Heuvel of Smart Homes, the Dutch Expertise Center on Home Automation and Smart Living.
The researchers developed smart fabrics, which can be worn or used as bed sheets, that incorporate sensors to monitor vital signs or sleeping patterns. The smart-home environment also includes smart sensors, as well as optical-recognition units and home automation elements to monitor eating and drinking, activity patterns, and potentially dangerous situations. The centerpiece of the project, however, is the robot, which learns to approach users at appropriate times with suggestions and conversation.
"Older people were extremely positive about the robot," Van den Heuvel says. "They can see the benefits of the cognitive support it provides and also, if they live alone, they like the idea of having something they can interact with."
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