Personalized vision-enabled robots for older adults

Developed and funded by a group of European research institutes and companies, the Mobiserv robot companion is a highly-customizable semi-humanoid robot that can talk and provide cognitive support to users by offering them reminders and suggestions throughout the day.

Mobiserv robots are equipped with cameras, sensors, and a touch screen interface, and can interact with users in a number of ways, including reminding them to take their medicine, suggest they have their favorite drink, or prompt them to go for a walk or visit friends if they haven’t been out in a while, according to CORDIS.

These robots can even ask users if they are hungry and remind them to eat. Researchers at Aristotle University, a member of the eight-partner consortium, developed a benchmarking database for the evaluation of eating and drinking activity recognition algorithms. Using Sony XCD-V60CR digital video cameras, the team captured video of 12 people participating in four distinct meal intake sessions. In total, each of the 12 people filmed made eight separate videos, resulting in a database of 384 video sequences. As a result of the creation of this database, the Mobiserv robot is able to recognize when a person has eaten, and remind them if they haven’t for a period of time.

The robot itself is only part of an overall personal intelligent platform consisting of various devices, middleware, and services. In addition to the robot, this includes wearable smart clothes that monitor vital signs or sleeping patterns and detect falls. It also includes a smart home environment that features smart sensors, optical recognition units, and home automation elements to detect eating and drinking patterns, activity patterns, and dangerous situations, according to Mobiserv.

Prototype model Mobiserv robots currently cost around EUR 10,000 to build, but the price is expected to fall to about EUR 5,000 within a few years, according to the website.

View more information on Mobiserv.

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