Developed by
IIT-D alumnus, they are integral part of many Australian households
At a hall
full of students at IIT-Madras on Tuesday, as two baby-faced, chubby, big-eyed
robots dance to Lady Gaga and old Bollywood songs, ‘emoting’ with green, red
and yellow lights and subtle body movements, the audience cannot help but join
them in shaking a leg.
These
robots, exhibited at the institute as part of its technical fest, Shaastra
2014, are here with a purpose. Designed by Rajiv Khosla, an IIT-Delhi alumnus,
these ‘social robots’ — Charles, Sophie, Matilda, Betty, Lucie and Jack — are
an integral part of many households in Australia. They engage the elderly,
helping them combat social isolation and mental conditions such as dementia.
Mr. Khosla
heads the Research Centre for Computers, Communication and Social Innovation at
La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia. He and his team of researchers,
with help from Japanese electronic giant NEC, have been working on designing
emotionally-intelligent robots.
“As soon as
an elderly person gets up, she can ask the robot to dance to her favourite
song. The robot can also tell the weather, read the paper, send emails, make
calls or remind you to take your medicines,” says Mr. Khosla.
They can
also sense if a person is anxious and evaluate the condition of a patient
through her responses, and make required calls or send pictures, he says.
“Their
engaging presence not just cheers up the elderly, it also provides some relief
to caregivers. We have also seen cases where children and grandchildren begin
visiting their elderly parents more because they are happier now, and there is
a new, interesting member in the family,” he says.
The attempt
of the project is to humanise technology and use the modalities of human
communication to enrich lives of people. “The robots are not there to do your
work for you. They won’t make coffee for you, but will enrich your life with
some meaningful engagement centred on wellness,” says Mr. Khosla. The robots
are also being used at workplaces and as care-givers to children.
“And single
women love them. They can come back, and these robots will tell them everything
that was interesting on Facebook today, or even keep their favourite shows
downloaded for them,” he says.
The robots,
as of now, speak Hindi among the Indian languages. “Very soon, they will start
dancing to Tamil songs. I have already taught them to say ‘nandri’ and ‘inga
vaa,’” says Mr. Khosla.
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