Keywords: Robot Pet | Human Robot Interaction | Elderly Care
In Japan the aging population problem is increasing which is placing large pressure on the work force to fill shortages in nursing and elderly care. A consequential issue that is arising as a result, is the increase in people with dementia. My solution to this problem was Kamebo, a turtle-shaped companion robot for dementia and general wellbeing care. Its main features are orienting and guiding its elderly companion to places they want to go, which is a critical necessity for dementia patients as they often suffer from memory loss. Kamebo uses an internal map of its environment, GPS and distance sensors to guide the elderly person to their destination while maintaining comfortable proximity. Kamebo also stores medication and vitamins in its shell and reminds its partner when it is time to take medication and even highlights the required medication to make the process easier. Furthermore, Kamebo can communicate with its partner through its on-board microphone array and speaker system. This allows Kamebo to be used as a social therapeutic platform to encourage positive behaviours. Kamebo can significantly contribute to independent and active lives of the dementia elderly by providing real-time and personal assistance.
Kamebo was the representation of what I term an ‘essential personal robot’, a robot that provides vital and wellbeing care that truly could make one’s life easier. This is opposed to the barrage of ‘home robots’ being created today that are quite simply glorified smart phones on wheels and offer no real value to the general user. Kamebo was designed for dementia care, but it was also created in the image of a robot that would be ubiquitous and essential in elderly homes, nursing care centres and hospitals. My ongoing mission is to put robots like Kamebo, in every person’s home so that they can have on demand access to assistive and intelligent healthcare through social robot interaction.