Once we reach a particular age, it gets tougher and tougher to do our everyday tasks. Luckily, there are lots of gadgets and tech devices that help the elderly to live alone with dignity. However, Toyota Research Institute (TRI) has created the โGantryโ ai personal assistant robot butler that takes care of the elderly as their latest research prototype.
However, this elderly care robot is a home-based assistance robot that is particularly designed to allow older generations to live their life independently. Unlike factories, navigating the robot in home environments is very challenging. Because every home is unique. And has different combinations of objects like appliances, cabinets, and stairs.
As a result, Instead of programming the robot butler to do a specific task, they teach the robot with a different method called โfleet learningโ. That means if we teach one robot via a person or in simulation to perform a task. After that, it shares the knowledge with all other robots.
What does the Toyotaโs robotic butler do?
Moreover, TRI has designed two different types of โGantry Robotโ. One of them will hang and travel on the ceiling. And perform tasks such as clearing clutter, wiping surfaces, mopping floors, and loading the dishwasher while completely avoiding the obstacles on the floor.
Likewise, Another type of prototype robot can do all the above tasksย as a floor-based mobile robot. This Idea comes to their mind when the team visits the homes of older adults in Japan. They believe that giving a completely automated lifestyle to elderly people might be physically beneficialย but not emotionally.
Unlike the fully automated cooking robots, the โGantryโ artificial intelligent robot assists and help the elderly. That helps them to do the tasks in their own way. That is to say, these robots are research prototypes, not product concepts. However, it will motivate and help them to develop the perfect algorithm in the future.
Source: Toyota Research Institute
