"My mum was alone in a care home - it inspired me to make an AI robot copy of myself"
Share:
Side by side, they look like identical twins. In fact, AI robot Nadine is a humanoid copy of her creator, Nadia. Nadia was inspired to create Nadine by her personal experience of the loneliness elderly people can face in care homes. Swiss robotician Professor Nadia Thalmann was working in Singapore when her elderly mum moved to a home back in Switzerland.
Nadia could only fly back to see her every two months, but says: “Even so, staff there said I was one of the people who visited their loved ones the most often. In care homes no one has time to spend with each individual, just to chat, read a book or play bingo. Most people who work in elderly homes come from elsewhere, so they often don’t share the same upbringing or history that helps older people to reminisce and engage in conversation. Most elderly people are on their own all the time.”.
Already a pioneer in research into virtual humans, Nadia, who set up MIRALab at the University of Geneva, decided to create an AI-powered robot that could be a companion to those lacking human interaction – and that could revolutionise the way elderly people are cared for.
“Social robot” Nadine, created in Nadia’s likeness including her auburn hair, has been trialled in care homes in Singapore. She interacted and communicated with residents, boosting mental health and reducing loneliness. Nadia tells the Mirror: “She is very empathetic, so people immediately like her.
