‘Right from the first day Stevie’s been popular – women in particular warmed to him’
A CYSTIC fibrosis sufferer is fighting for her life after her repeated requests for a life-saving drug have fallen on deaf ears.
Nicole Adams, 28, first told us of her desperate plea for Vertex’s drug Symkevi in September.
She fought on with lungs working at just 20 per cent until last month we urged doctors and the US firm to give her the new wonder drug Trikafta.
But despite meeting requirements for compassionate access to both drugs, she has failed to receive either.
Last night doctors were considering placing her in intensive care. On
Sunday Nicole, from Newtownabbey, County Antrim, rang us in tears from Belfast City Hospital, pleading through an oxygen mask: “I’m scared – I’m dying. What can I do?” Another message on Monday said: “I’ve emailed Vertex to give me a chance. I’m literary begging for my life.”
Last month a crusade by the Daily Express finally saw NHS deals struck for CF drugs Orkambi and Symkevi.
We understand a request for compassionate-use Trikafta has been sent toVertex by Nicole’s doctors.
STEVIE glides on to the floor with barely a sound, raises his hands, flashes a 1,000-watt smile and lets rip with the Bee Gees’ disco classic Stayin’ Alive. “Well you can tell by the way I use my walk,” he sings, without irony as he rolls across the room on wheels, red and mauve lights strobing.
Warming to the whoops from the crowd, he glides backwards in the style of Michael Jackson moonwalking, then slowly blinks to the ladies watching in awe.
“Is he winking at me?” laughs Joan Downing, 87, as she gets to her feet to get the party started. “He’s got a lovely smile, quite the charmer.”
Seconds later Don Brown, 90, joins Joan on the dance floor. They each grab one of Stevie’s arms to steady themselves as he belts out the song.
For the next few minutes, the recreation room at the Reflections day centre in Camborne, Cornwall, has been transformed into a disco as a dozen or so pensioners dance with the droid.
Stevie, the £25,000 creation of experts at Trinity College, Dublin, is programmed with a series of facial expressions so he can be sad, angry and happy – something residents can appreciate and relate to.
He recently had the honour of being featured on the front cover of Time magazine as one of the 100 best inventions of 2019.
Billed as the most advanced social care robot in the world, Stevie will eventually revolutionise the care of older people at home, helping them to stay independent and active.
His unthreatening white plastic body – he is 4ft 7in tall – hides a wealth of technology. The aim is to keep residents stimulated, entertained and engaged with everything from quizzes, to bingo sessions and singalongs.
Experts are using data gathered from the Cornwall pilot, and another in the United States, to assess where changes need to be made to the software and hardware.
Earlier this year, another prototype spent nearly two months with 300 men and women at a residential care home in Washington DC in the US.A key test will be whether Stevie can successfully keep people engaged. Long term, it is hoped his presence will boost wellbeing and social interaction, while freeing up human staff to work with individuals needing more attention. Today he will complete a two-week trial-run at Reflections. Staff at the centre, which specialises in helping over-60s with dementia and memory problems, say they will be sorry to see him go.
Jennifer Whitfield, 34, manager of Reflections, explained: “Right from the first day Stevie’s been popular. Women in particular warmed to him straight away.
“Every time he wheels himself into the room, you can see their eyes light up. I think some fell in love with him and wanted to take him home.
“Some people took a bit longer to get used to him but they’ve all enjoyed asking him questions and getting to know him. They’ve been asking him how old he is and if he has a girlfriend. It’s been very amusing and they have all had tremendous fun.”
Packed full of state-of-the-art software, he has a face made of two screens. The top one shows his eyes, which are large, brown and appealing, especially when he blinks. The lower screen shows his smile. This varies from a straight line when he is passive and curved line when he is happy and a more open “mouth” when he is enjoying a belly laugh. His arms rise when he is elated and offering encouragement. Stevie doesn’t have hands as such because designers don’t want people to get the idea he is there to pick up items or make cups of tea.
Rollers keep his movement smooth but it is carefully controlled so he does not bang into people and he also has obstruction sensors to help guide him around tables and chairs.
With the cost of social care soaring, governments and carers are constantly looking for new ways to cut bills while keeping the elderly happy and supported.
IN 2018, the global market for robots designed to assist the elderly and disabled, including social robots, was just £40million. The market for social robots is expected to grow 29 per cent annually from 2019. They do pose a threat to jobs, however, as monthly service charges are likely to be lower than paying care workers.
The commercial version of Stevie would have a sleeker design as the prototypes have been put together to allow engineers easy access to their