Official News page 8

REAL LIFE NEWS: ROBOT TEDDY BEARS AID WITH ALZHEIMER'S

by Hazed

Fujitsu has unveiled a new weapon in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia: a robot teddy bear.

The new high-tech teddy is intended to interact with old people suffering from dementia, providing comfort and friendship. He comes with an array of sensors and motors, a camera that can recognize a human face, and a synthesizer with the voice of a five-year old boy. He can response to a variety of stimuli with up to 300 movement patterns; these include "raising arms in delight, looking downwards in sadness , and kicking [his] feet in a fit of bad temper."

Fujitsu says that even patients who show little ability to communicate with humans have been observed to be "communicating quite congenially with the robots and even humming tunes with them."

Robo-Ted can replicate a wide variety of facial expressions and body-language gestures, all in response to the actions or sounds made by the patients who are interacting with him. He can also be hooked up to a PC and programmed to perform a series of pre-determined actions - a capability that designers suggest could be used to lead a patient through an exercise regime, or play games with the patient.

Fujitsu points out that animal therapy is used to provide psychological comfort to patients today, and robot therapy could do as well, with added advantages, such as "not having any of the hygiene-related problems that can accompany animals and of course, these robots do not bite."

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