Recently, researchers at the University of Hertfordshire crossed the borders of tradition developing an innovative prototype of a social robot which works in partnerships with carers and families to supports independent living for the elders.

The robot is designed to work within a smart-home environment through a service platform called Care-O-Bot® 3.

This is the result of the cooperation of nine partner institutions from five different European countries, that joined forces, led by Dr. Farshid Amirabdollahian, in the €4.825.492 project named ACCOMPANY (Acceptable Robotics Companions for Ageing Years).

The team achieved great impact in the field of robotic interactions over the last three years, carrying out different researches and investigations in the University’s Robot House, through studies involving the detection of status and activities of people in a smart-home environment and focusing the attention on robot’s ability to remember and recall.

The steps taken during the years outlined three interaction scenarios, which were carefully evaluated by involving elderly people and their carers across the UK, the Netherlands and France.

The results of ACCOMPANY’s studies showed that a social robot can potentially help to prevent loneliness and isolation, offering interesting and stimulating activities while respecting independence and autonomy.

The project was recognised for its “excellent results” in Brussels. Dr Amirabdollahian said: “This project proved the feasibility of having companion technology, while also highlighting different important aspects such as empathy, emotion, social intelligence as well as ethics and its norm surrounding technology for independent living”

Find a YouTube video of the robot <a href=”http://youtu.be/1CD9Gxz6qBw” target=”blank”>HERE!

Written by: Pietro Paolo Frigenti