Androids will help taking care of the residents in care homes in the future. They will use Artificial Intelligence, and they will learn what the seniors like or dislike, through conversation.
As for the human caretakers, there’s no need to worry. They will still be around, taking care of the seniors and getting some pressure off, with the help of these friendly and eager to help Androids.
The European Union has funded this project with £2.5million. Experts in robotics explain that the main focus of the program is to offer residents more comfort and companionship.
The project will launch in September, as a result of the collaboration between the University of Bedfordshire and Advinia Health Care. Dr. Chris Papadopoulos, with the university, explains what the robots can do:
“These robots are able to adapt, learn and tailor their conversations according to what they find out about an individual just as two people might do in a normal conversation.”
More Support to the Social Care of the Elderly
Dr. Sanjeev’s Kanoria, is a research partner in the study, the Chairman of Advinia Health Care and he also is a liver surgeon. He explains that the social care of seniors needs more support. A robot could provide it, without replacing humans:
“Robots will not replace care workers but such innovation could streamline processes such as medication delivery, setting reminders and providing access to technology and entertainment. This technology will not only improve care delivery, but also promote independent living and quality of life. Particularly for dementia patients, agitation can be reduced by offering culturally-appropriate care support.”
Kanoria also explained that the robots have no limbs to carry essential tasks. They will only provide information with the help of artificial intelligence. They will learn about the residents and will communicate the information to care workers, ‘enabling them to do their task better.’
Southend council has recently launched a machine the size of a child to look after patients who have dementia. This robot can speak 12 languages. It has an internet connection, so it can deliver information on the latest news, recipes, weather and also videos.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.