Nadine, a social robot with artificial intelligence that mimics human movements and expressions, may play a significant part in the future of caring for the elderly and sick.
Nadine’s auburn hair and dark brown eyes were modelled by robot expert Nadia Magnenat Thalmann from the University of Geneva. She believes that Nadine and similar machines could be more efficient carers than people.
“She (Nadine) has time 24 hours a day. The others have no time,” Thalmann said.
She was speaking for the use of AI and robots to advance global objectives including health as she spoke outside of a conference held in Geneva by the International Telecommunication Union.
Global competition for nurses and carers is intensifying, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, and some nations are dealing with a staffing shortage in nursing facilities that some believe humanoid robots may one day solve.
Nadine told Reuters that three years ago, when engaging in dialogue with residents at a nursing home in Singapore, it sang, played bingo, and talked with them.
The robot added, “It was a great experience and I enjoyed interacting with the elderly and helping them with their needs,”
‘PARO’, a baby seal robot ‘pet’ that can assist dementia and Parkinson’s sufferers, as well as nursing helper Grace are among the other robots on show.
Nadine’s interaction and conversational skills have improved after last week’s upgrade with AI model GPT-3, which allows it to communicate concepts with greater complexity, Thalmann stated.
