Robots have disrupted every industry. They are everywhere. But can they help fight loneliness?
The current pandemic has made us befriend one technology which is often considered as our intellectual rival: robots. We have read several accounts of how robots have been resourceful in helping us fight the harrowing effects of COVID, like assisting us in our mission to find a cure drug and even sanitize public spaces. However, the crisis has also shown that robots can be our emotional support too. The scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, have programmed robots to address the instances of loneliness caused due to social distancing and isolation that have become new normal and mandatory due to COVID. This is not the first time that researchers around the world have been experimenting with emotional AI for the greater good of humans. Mauro Dragone, who is the project’s lead scientist, believes that this study can help understand the needs of the most vulnerable at this time and what technology could be used to make their lives better.
Her team at Heriot-Watt University, are working to incorporate robots in social care as a potential solution to reach out to vulnerable groups affected by the social distancing measures that have resulted in decreased visits and restricted activities. In this study named, Ambient Assisted Living, the scientists observed robots like Pepper perform everyday household tasks. The objective was to see if robots can assist healthcare workers with stretched hours of work and responsibilities by taking over simple household chores.
The work of these robots was similar to a nurse bot that not only reminds older patients on long-term medical programs to take their medication but also converses with them every day to monitor their overall wellbeing.
Around the same time, another group of scientists from Ohio State University’s College of Nursing and Vanderbilt University received a grant of US$3.13 million to develop socially-assistive robots that can promote social interaction among older adults. The humanoid and animal-like robots are scheduled to be trialed next summer. According to one of the faculties, Dr. Lorraine Mion, robots can be a great assistive technology to the nursing homes and the assisted living areas that can then be used to facilitate older adults to engage with one another.
The SoftBank Robotics, who holds credit for developing Pepper, emotional robots would not replace humans but complement them. By coexisting with us, these robots hold promise for leading all people to a smarter, safer, healthier, and happier existence.
Some months ago, Japanese robotic startup Groove X designed Lovot, a tiny, plush robot designed to spread love. Lovot, which looks like an adorable mix between a penguin and a teddy bear, is supposed to help lonely people cope with their emotional needs. Speaking to a Forbes interview, Lovot creator and Groove X CEO Kaname Hayashi said, “Our robot doesn’t do any work for humans, and it doesn’t have any contents for entertainment purposes. But neither do dogs or cats. What it does is recognize you and bother you. That’s the aim of our robot.”
Meanwhile, we have, Phobot, an interactive robot developed by student researchers at the University of Amsterdam, serves as a strong visual and learning aid to help children who suffer from anxiety and phobias. Another robot studio called BeatBots, based in San Francisco and Sendai, Japan—created Keepon Pro in 2003 specifically for children with developmental disorders like autism. People with autism often have trouble keeping eye contact with other people, so a therapist can use Keepon to interact with a child in a social setting without the child shutting down.
All these notable examples cite that robots can ready to become our emotional companion. This is quite encouraging both in robotics and Emotional AI too. All the COVID pandemic worsen, the demand for care workers rise, these ‘social robots’ will prove helpful in an often ignored aspect of healthcare. The noble work at Heriot-Watt University and SoftBank’s Pepper are just a start!
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