64 SERVO 01.2016
envisioned an elder care robot,
depicted in the drawing in Figure 6.
You may notice that the two arms on
the robot resemble the popular Puma
robot arms that Engelberger’s original
company, Unimation helped develop.
These ‘articulated’ or ‘jointed’ arms
are similar to human arms.
The Home-Based
Personal Assistant
Robot for Seniors
Certainly, any robot that enters the
human body and cuts away on bodily
tissues like the da Vinci surgical robot
requires intensive scrutiny and
certification by the FDA and numerous
other government agencies. These
types of robots also require many
hours of training in their use for the
surgeons who will utilize them.
However, a home-based personal
assistant robot that is operated by a
senior in need of assistance or by an
untrained helper in the home has
frightening liability possibilities for
potential companies. This applies
especially to robots that might
physically assist a person in their home.
It is this fact that has caused
many potential entrepreneurs to step
back a bit and wait to see if others
will enter the field to produce a
personal assistant robot to extend
independent living for seniors.
Looking at the latest census
figures, there were 44. 7 million
people 65 years or older living in the
US in 2013 (the last year such data
was gathered). If only 10% of this
group was able to purchase a robot to
assist them in their daily lives, that
number would be over four million
robots — a huge market. Unlike a
robot designed to assist a disabled
person, the elderly generally have very
similar physical needs. The personal
assistant robot for this group needs to
be just a single design, with possible
accessories and upgrades available to
the buyer.
To faithful readers of this
magazine, it is no secret that I have
long been interested in developing a
personal assistant robot to allow the
elderly to keep their independence.
Back in the ‘90s when I lived in Long
Beach, CA, I interviewed a number of
seniors in an assisted living facility
about the possibility of having a robot
assist them there. As you might
imagine, some said something to this
effect: “I don’t want some machine
following me around,” or, “What if
the robot goes berserk or
Some people were quite wary of
a robot assistant near them — at first.
Others had the opposite feelings, such
as: “For what I pay for this place each
month, I could have a house full of
robot servants.” (Not really.) A strong
majority of feelings remained among
those whom I interviewed: “I would
have done anything to be able to stay
in my own home and retain my
independence. I just need a little bit
of help during the day.”
The average monthly cost of
assistive living centers in the US is
$3,600 a month — far above the
average Social Security income of
most seniors. If a high-end personal
assistant robot cost just half the
$43,200 yearly cost of a center, the
robot could pay for itself in just one
year — even with home expenses.
Robotic Social
Interaction Will Soon
be a Reality
One of the most unique robots
that has been in the news lately is the
Jibo designed by Cynthia Breazeal (a
photo of which is shown in Figure 7
with Dr. Breazeal and her software
architect, Jonathan Ross). Breazeal is
listed as Associate Professor of Media
Arts and Sciences at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
and was the director of the Personal
Robots Group before starting her own
company. The ‘arts and sciences’
background mystifies a few people
until they realize her degrees are a BS
in Electrical and Computer
Engineering from UC Santa Barbara,
and a master’s and doctorate in
Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science from MIT.
Kismet (shown in Figure 8) was
her earliest claim to fame that
solidified her title as the leader in
social robot design. The robot head
was her doctoral thesis project.
Jibo is known as the ‘world’s first
social robot for the home.’ The photo
of Jibo in Figure 8 does not give an
accurate view of this amazing robot.
You must see the robot in action to
get a true understanding of how the
robot looks and moves and sounds.
Yes, moves and speaks. It is not just a
half dome sitting on a table like a
Figure 5. PALS Robotics prototype shown
next to a HelpMate robot.
Figure 6. Joe
Engelberger's
dual-armed
home service
robot.
Figure 7. Jibo founder, Cynthia Breazeal and
software architect, Jonathan Ross with a Jibo
prototype.