Robot-carer which can assist vulnerable people is built at Salford Uni

A ROBOT-carer is capable of looking after vulnerable people in their own homes. 

Dr Theo Theodoridis, lecturer of Robotics and Embedded Systems at the University of Salford, took between three and four months to build the robot from scratch in 2017.

The robot, named Carrie, uses advanced artificial intelligence to recognise falls, carry trays and trigger an alarm if any medication is missed or the gas is left turned on.

The robot also has a sense of spatial awareness and directional perception, meaning she can obey complex commands related to the room she is in.  

In a promotion for The University of Salford, Dr Theodoridis said: “It can interact with people very naturally- it looks like it’s alive!”

The original commission was given from the BBC documentary, ‘Six Robots and Us’ which explored the functions and benefits of six newly-created robots.

Dr Theodoridis was asked to build a robot to help Linda Bowles who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.

The BBC filmed Carrie for a fortnight living with Linda and Neil Bowles in their home in Suffolk.

The result of this was aired on the BBC 2 show ‘Six Robots and Us’ in December. 

Dr Theodoridis says that by the end of the two weeks, the Bowles learned to engage with Carrie because the robot can speak, recognise voices and faces, and even has technology to learn from these. 

The advanced technology made for Carrie will now have more complex updates and paves the way for future home-help projects according to Dr Theodoridis.

He said: “Once the robots become affordable, I can envisage them being available to buy within the next ten years or so.”

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All images used with permission from Salford University Press Office.