Social Robot with Emotion and Memory

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have developed a prototype of a social robot that can support independent living for the elderly, while working in partnership with their relatives or caregivers. The robot uses a state of the art service platform called Care-O-bot® 3 and works within a smart-home environment. A team of nine partner institutions from across five European countries are part of a project called Acceptable RobotiCs COMPanions for AgeiNg Years (ACCOMPANY). Over the past three years, the project team carried out a wide range of studies focused on detecting the activity and status of people in a smart-home environment, and the robots' ability to remember and recall. ACCOMPANY's results demonstrated that a social robot can potentially help to prevent isolation and loneliness, offering stimulating activities while respecting autonomy and independence.