Welcome, Robin the AI robot

“Hi! Do you want to sing a song with me?”With its big WALL-E eyes and sleek plastic body, Robinthe robothas the huggable, child-friendly look of an animatedPixar character — one that is eager to interact with pediatric patients to ease their anxiety and loneliness in the hospital.    The emotional-learning technology that enables Robin to engage realistically with children is even more essential in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which physical isolation has becomeall the moreimportant for sick children, particularly those whose immune systems are compromised.But while physical isolation is necessary,the feeling of being isolated is not, says Dr. Justin Wagner, a pediatric surgeon atUCLA Mattel Children ’s Hospital and co-leaderof theRobin project.“Negative feelings are even stronger during this time,” Wagner noted. “We hope to integrate Robin as a member of the team, augmenting our ability to give children contact, attention and companionship.”Theartificial intelligencesystem was developed by Expper Technologies, a Silicon Valley –supported startup with roots in Yerevan, Armenia. Robin’s technology enablesthe robotto build what is called associative memory— it recognizes a child ’s emotions by interpreting his or her facial expressions and builds responsive dialogue by replicating patterns formed from previous experiences.Robin is expected to begin zipping along the halls of the hospital by mid-July and will go through ayearlong training ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news