UK researchers trial robots to greatly help look after aged, vulnerable groups
Pepper’s expertise includes making calls, identifying missing things in your kitchen and occasional aerobics instruction.
Now, after a surge in loneliness among vulnerable groupings during the coronavirus pandemic, this robot’s potential just as a companion have gained her a job in a Scottish university’s assisted living experiment with artificial intelligence.
Scientists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh experience programmed robots, including Pepper-who was launched as the world’s primary humanoid in Japan found in 2014-to perform tasks normally completed by care workers.
“We are specifically interested in understanding the wants of the most vulnerable at the moment and what technology could possibly be used to create their lives better,” Mauro Dragone, the project’s business lead scientist, told AFP.
“Successful innovation on the field is essential to alleviate the strain on health insurance and social care services.”
The experiment, named Ambient Assisted Living, will primarily give attention to finding solutions for priority groups, whose vulnerabilities have already been compounded by social isolation measures required through the pandemic.
For the research, Pepper and other robots have already been put to do the job in a university laboratory configured to resemble a typical apartment, with a bedroom, bathroom, home and living room.
Privacy concerns
By using robots to execute basic household jobs for many who have shed their perspective or hearing, or have problems with dementia, the project expectations to help ease pressure on care workers, who tend to be encumbered by high workloads.
Researchers, care providers and the finish users of assisted living providers are getting asked to use cloud and so-called net of things technologies-in which objects inside your home are installed with sensors from the internet-to participate remotely.
“We happen to be transforming this lab right into a remote wide open access lab to ensure that we are able to keep doing this interact whilst there is social distancing set up,” Dragone said.
The project will trial “invisible” signal and sensor technology used to keep an eye on participant’s behaviour, essential signs and regular state of health.
Should the sensors find a overall health emergency in a patient, an alert can be transmitted, allowing carers or urgent workers to take rapid actions.
“Found in this laboratory we are specialists in sensor technology that's invisible,” Dragone said.
“Rather than attaching sensors, we make use of technology for instance a Wi-Fi signal to detect the occurrence and activities of individuals in the home,” he added, noting this meant presently there would usually be nothing new to instal or wear.
Researchers are “mindful” about privacy concerns and the ethical conditions that could appear in the project, said Dragone.
A worldwide panel of ethics professionals on artificial intelligence is overseeing the experiment and can run “constant” risk assessments on the technology as it is developed, he explained.
Positive response
The Coalition of Health care and Support Companies in Scotland, which represents 80 voluntary care providers that support around 200,000 people, has encouraged its members to collaborate on the project.
Emma Donnelly, the group’s digital programme manager, said COVID-19 had accelerated the necessity to implement “digital solutions” in care facilities.
“There was already an existing drive for digital before the pandemic, however the crisis operations answer has gone to accelerate the implementation,” she added.
Donnelly said the a reaction to the job have been “really positive” up to now.
“The focus of the project is on the finish user and there is a co-design element to it,” she added.
“The care providers understand that everything the job makes will support them in making their day-to-operating day lives a little bit easier"
