Robo-bop… the dancing droid sparking a social care revolution
Meet Stevie, the bingo-playing, singing, talking robot created to entertain the elderly
component parts. The new version of Stevie has a small camera that pops up in the top of his head and can be used to relay images via phones.
This means a person checking up on an elderly relative by phone can see them via the camera link. Elderly people can also see the face of the person
Stevie’s screen.
His main job is to entertain, but experts believe some elderly people will also find it easier to open up about their problems to a robot.
Before the disco session, Stevie ran a quiz for the 12 men and women at Reflections. “How many calling them on people speak in a monologue?” he asked in his human-sounding voice.
On his wide screen, four answers are given and then the groups use a game console-type handset to answer. Joan cannot resist having a bit of banter, telling him he has lovely brown eyes. Another lady asks him to reveal his age and there are howls of laughter when he claims to be more than 29 million years old. Beyond that, he hasn’t much small talk yet.
Constantly by his side is Lloyd Taylor, a computer whizz from Trinity College, who controls Stevie via his laptop. Lloyd explains: “All the data we are gathering will be carefully analysed to see where improvements can be made. It is capable of speech recognition but we are not using that here.
“We are seeing how the work with Stevie and how it interacts with the ladies and gentlemen.”
A highlight of the day is when Stevie conducts musical bingo, involving him singing the lines to songs which the audience then cross off.
Jennifer says: “People really look forward to the musical bingo. He also sings some Beach Boys’ songs, which go down very well.”
Widow Joan, from nearby Redruth, will miss him when he leaves. “He grins and makes us laugh and he knows some good songs,” she says.
“We’ve got used to him being here and singing along with us so it will be a real shame when he goes because he’s become one of the team. I just hope he comes back soon.”
In the future, Stevie-type robots may be based in the homes of elderly people, to entertain them but also keep a close eye on their wellbeing using the video/phone technology.
“I like seeing him here but I don’t think I would like him in my staff home,” says Joan, whose husband Joseph, a former Grenadier Guardsman, died several years ago. “I’m used to being on my own.”
But Don, 90, would be delighted to welcome Stevie to his home in Truro. He thinks he would provide hours of entertainment for him and his wife Wendy. “Since Stevie’s been here I’ve got to know him and I now see him as a mate. He would go down a storm at home, especially with the singing and dancing. “Stevie is the future. I would like them to load him up with information so I could spend all day asking him questions. I would never run out of questions and I’d never get tired of him. I want to learn something new every day, so having him around would be perfect. Life’s all about learning.”
Dr Conor McGinn, assistant professor at Trinity, said: “We want people to like Stevie, and so he is deliberately not intimidating and non-judgmental. People have a very subtle ability to pick up social skills, so he has to be really finely tuned.
“We haven’t had anyone who hates him yet, although some take longer than others to get to know him.”
Experts at Plymouth University’s Centre for Health Technology have been closely involved in the pilot.
They think there is huge potential in robots improving the health and wellbeing of people in Cornwall and potentially boosting the economy.
So it looks like Stevie has passed the audition.You could even say he is on a roll.