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Robots will be a necessity with the ageing population needing assistance to improve their mobility. On the long road to help seniors maintain their life quality, EU researchers have developed a unique prototype robot.
In 2016, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, estimated that nearly one fifth of Europe's population was 65 years or older. To tackle this continuing massive demographic change, the GrowMeUp project has developed affordable robotic technology. The aim was to connect the elderly to a virtual care network and provide support for personal and care tasks to ensure their well-being and safety. The result is the robot GrowMu. "While there are other autonomous robots and systems, GrowMeUp research results have advanced well beyond those of other predecessor projects," comments project coordinator, Professor Jorge Dias.
GrowMeUp - Algorithms - GrowMu - Changes - Behaviour
GrowMeUp developed advanced algorithms so GrowMu can adapt to changes and behaviour of the elderly to capture their routine. This means the robot can detect situations that could be improved upon and act in the case of danger such as a call for appropriate help. Scenarios needing attention range from suggestions for new recipes to a warning that a step is likely to cause a fall.
"Adaptive learning and multi-objective decision-making algorithms work so the robot can learn from the user's speech and behaviour patterns and recognise when circumstances require action," explains Prof. Dias. For example, through facial recognition and oral dialogues, GrowMu can remember a person's needs such as the week's planned events and remind the senior accordingly.
GrowMu - Cared - Users - Robot - Modifications
As GrowMu 'grows' with the senior cared for as well as other users, the robot can suggest modifications to lifestyle that help to sustain, and even improve life quality. Examples could be to outline an exercise regime and arrange events for socialisation purposes.
All the functions of GrowMu are linked to the cloud. The seemingly infinite...
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