Robotic Helpers Are Programmed To Assist Us And Be Friendly

Today robotic helpers are becoming more prominent in human life, from sexual companions to COVID-19 treatment and everything in between. Robots are becoming digital sidekicks that can help us accomplish our daily tasks more efficiently, safely, and quickly. They are programmed to be friends and not enemies, and they have human-like appearances that mimic human emotions to help us feel more comfortable.

Miko Zhong, the spokesperson for Richtech Robotics, said that robots could not replace humans. “Right now, there are too many technological limitations.”

Matradee by Richtech Robotics

Come meet Matradee, an autonomous robot-waiter created by a tech company. The Matradee was designed to speed up food service in restaurants. It can read QR codes and deliver meals directly from the kitchen to customers.

Zhong insists that robots don’t take jobs from waiters. They’re not tools to do more work than cellphones.

Amazon, the online retailer, has announced the creation of brawny robots, nicknamed Bert, Ernie, and Scooter, to help its 1.2 million fulfillment center employees lift and carry heavy boxes. According to

Amazon, the company’s goal is to reduce worker injuries in its warehouses which saw nearly 27,000 accidents last year.

Here are some examples of hardware being hardwired to take on human work.

Grace for Nurses

Grace, a healthcare humanoid Grace, is the latest essential robotic helper joining the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. The socially intelligent robot is dressed in nurse scrubs, speaks warmly, and can listen and talk. A thermal camera on its chest measures the temperature of patients and their responsiveness.

Grace stated in a video that she could visit people and brighten their day through social stimulation. Grace spoke to Reuters. “I can entertain and guide exercise. I am also able to provide talk therapy, bio-reading, and assist healthcare providers in assessing [a patient’s] health, and delivering treatments.”

Hanson Robotics founder David Hanson developed Grace in Hong Kong. It is designed to interact and engage with seniors.

Patients love the human-like qualities of the medical machine and her ability to communicate fluently in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Hanson explained to the outlet that a human-like appearance promotes trust and natural engagement because we are programmed to have human-to-human interactions. He pointed out that Grace costs about the same as a luxury vehicle.

However, costs will decrease when his company, and partnership with robotics developer Awakening Health, begin mass manufacturing Grace in 2022 for deployment in all Asian medical facilities.

Hong Kong’s team behind the celebrity robot Sophia has launched a new prototype called Grace. It is targeted at the healthcare market and will interact with the elderly and those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grace is dressed in a blue nurse’s uniform. She has collar-length brown hair, Asian features, and a thermal camera on her chest that measures your responsiveness and temperature. Grace uses artificial intelligence to diagnose patients and can speak English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Grace said that she could visit people and brighten their days with social stimulation. Though she can also do talk therapy and take bio readings to help healthcare providers,” Grace shared with Reuters while standing next to Sophia in Hanson Robotics’ Hong Kong Workshop.

David Hanson, the founder of Grace, stated that Grace’s similarity to a healthcare professional and her ability for social interaction ease the strain on frontline staff at hospitals overwhelmed by the pandemic.

Hanson Robotics’ humanoid robot Grace is there in the company’s laboratory in Hong Kong, China, on June 8, 2021.

Hanson explained that Grace’s human-like appearance helps foster trust and natural engagement. Grace is wired to interact with humans face-to-face and can mimic the actions of over 48 facial muscles. Grace has a comfortable demeanor that is reminiscent of anime characters.

According to David Lake, chief executive at the joint venture between Hanson Robotics & Singularity Studio, Awakening Health plans to mass-produce Grace in August. She will be fully deployed next year in locations such as Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.

Hanson said that the cost of manufacturing the robots would drop when the company is manufacturing hundreds of thousands of them.

Grace’s appearance and demeanor are designed to ease the suffering of the hospital staff, who were overwhelmed by the pandemic.

“Grace’s launch coincides with the worldwide impact of coronavirus, which has made the humanoid robotics urgent,” stated Kim Min-Sun (communicology professor, University of Hawaii).

Many people are stuck at home because of COVID-19 lockdowns and have negative thoughts about their mental health.

She said that if people can help themselves with the deployment of social robots in intimate settings, it would positively affect society.

Sophia

Sophia, the humanoid robot that you may have seen in viral videos, is possible. Sophia, unlike Boston Dynamics’ robots, looks like a terrifyingly entertaining Terminator-type machine that can dance. Sophia, however, is designed to look quite human. Hanson Robotics, behind Sophia, intends to mass-produce robots to aid people during the pandemic.

According to Reuters, the Hong Kong-based firm believes that robot solutions to the pandemic do not only apply to healthcare. They could also assist customers in other industries like the retail and airline industry.

David Hanson, the founder and chief executive officer of his company, stated, “The world at Covid-19 will need more and more automation to keep people safe.” Hanson also noted that Sophia is “human-like” and “That can be so helpful when people are terribly lonely and socially isolated.”

Sophia was “turned back” on February 14, 2016. Hanson designed the robot using ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, late famous Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn and his wife.

The robot’s internal architecture comprises sophisticated software, chat, and artificial intelligence systems designed for general reasoning. Sophia can imitate human facial expressions and gestures. Sophia can answer simple questions and have little conversations. Sophia can see through the camera embedded in her eyes. The robot, which is a humanoid, can recognize faces and maintain eye contact. Google Alphabet provides Sophia’s speech recognition technology. The robot is “designed for getting smarter over time.”

Sophia and similar robots Hanson is developing are meant to be social. Hanson believes these AI-backed robotic helpers can work alongside people in nursing homes or other settings that require interaction with humans.

Sophia spoke with her about how artificial intelligence can improve people’s lives. She stated that social robots such as herself could take care of the elderly and sick in many areas of healthcare.

Sophia answered a reporter’s question about robots in an unexpected conversation. She said that someone had said that “We have nothing to fear except fear ourselves.”

An old saying states that “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”: The United States and other countries face a job-loss crisis. Layoffs and hiring freezes seem to continue until vaccines are available, given into arms, and positive results. Is it logical to mass-produce robots for the jobs people need to support their families?

As technology rapidly develops, this “morals vs. commerce” dilemma will continue to be a problem. Technology advocates claim that this trend will create new jobs. However, others worry that they won’t have the necessary skills and education to secure a career in the new, technological, robotic, and AI economy.

The Clockwork Minicurist

This robot is the “art” of artificial intelligence. The Clockwork Minicurist comprises 3D cameras, a nozzle, and hands. It can do nail-paint manicures in under 10 minutes and costs $8.

The Clockwork Minicurist will be available in retail stores, corporate buildings, and airports in the coming months.

Renuka Apte, the robot’s creator, said that customers insert a cartridge with polish into the device. This is similar to loading a Nespresso pod into a Nespresso machine. The customer places their hand on the hand rest and then says “ready,” and the robot paints one finger at a given time.

Apte and her Clockwork cofounders tried the Minicurist on customers at a San Francisco pop-up nail salon last month. Clockwork, backed by Alexis Ohanian, Reddit founder, and tennis champion Serena Williams’ husband, plans to launch the Minicurist in retail stores, corporate buildings, and airports over the next few months.

Apte stated that it could not replace the nail techs in a salon, noting that it doesn’t use gel nail polishes or nail art designs. However, the automation allows users to have a second option when they are in a rush, need affordable services, or want a change of nail color.

The Matradee

The Matradee, a robot restaurant worker, gives meals on wheels a new meaning. The Matradee, a robot restaurant worker who uses wheels, offers meals on wheels a new sense.

The automaton stands at 4 feet tall and can sing and speak upon command, rolls up to customers to serve as a waiter’s helper. It can carry up to 80 pounds of food orders and whisk away plates. The Matradee comes with four heavy-duty trays to help you serve multiple dishes or clean dishes. It also has smart navigation features like infrared cameras and Lidar sensors to detect and avoid obstacles up to six feet away.

The battery-powered bot can work in 12- to 14-hour shifts, and it will automatically mount onto its charging base once work gets completed. It only needs to be loaded by a human being.

Island Grill in Ocean City, NJ, recently it to save the day.  Allison Yoa, the restaurant owner, said that she had been a great help to her team. Andrew, her wife, and the bot they leased from Richtech — the bot is called “Peanut” because of the waitstaff shortage caused by the pandemic. R

Richtech Robotics refused to provide price details but stated that the Matradee costs about 1/3 of the salary of a full-time employee.  She doesn’t replace a human worker, but she makes service a little easier.”

The Purrble

The Purrble will be comforting kids of all ages, not just comfort pets. It is a high-tech plush robot that provides high-tech healthcare. Aaron Horowitz, the creator of the Purrble, said that it is a tool to help children self-soothe and help them manage their emotions. It provides a mirroring empathetic experience.

The Purrble runs on two AA batteries and has a palpable, haptic heartbeat. Its heart beats fast when a child holds it. Then, as the child gently and repeatedly pet it, it begins to slow down and purrs.

Katherine Isbister, University of California Santa Cruz professor, said that “when you calm down someone else, you learn to calm yourself down.”

Together with Petr Slovak, an Oxford University researcher, she helped Horowitz to develop Purrble. This product was introduced in August amid increased anxieties due to the pandemic.

Horowitz spoke of the doll’s positive impact on children who were experiencing loneliness or virtual learning difficulties. “We’ve received some wonderful feedback about Purrble playing a significant role for children that were struggling with virtual learning or feelings of loneliness during the shutdown,”

You can purchase it on Amazon for $49.99, and it is for customers aged 3 to 103. Horowitz stated that even adults who struggled to adjust to the stress of working remotely and the mental health effects of the pandemic, Purrble was a fantastic source of emotional support.

The Bellhop Bot

Robo-room service has come. Bots appear in hotels such as Chicago’s Hotel EMC2 (where they store guest luggage) and Times Square’s Yotel (where Cleo & Leo deliver room service). Still, none of them are as sophisticated and well-informed as to the South African Hotel Sky’s computational concierges.

The bellhop bots Lexi and Micah, which can carry up to 165 lbs of luggage from the lobby to guest suites and deliver room service quickly, offer guests contactless check-ins.

CTRL Robotics created machines with advanced cameras and scanners to imitate human senses and respond. The devices can scan the faces of guests to determine their mood.

High-tech hospitality workers work on special batteries and take turns working six-hour shifts with their human counterparts at the luxurious lodge in Johannesburg. Lexi and her digital siblings entertain guests with selfies and essential information about the hotel, such as which floor is on.

After work is done, the bots return to their docking stations to recharge. These artificially intelligent robot cyborgs were first introduced in January. They are now helping Japan’s hospitality workers to become fully robotic. In 2015, Japan was the first country to introduce a fully robot-run hotel.