Companion robot

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A companion robot is a robot created to create real or apparent companionship for human beings. [1] Target markets for companion robots include the elderly [2] and single children. [3] Companions robots are expected to communicate with non-experts in a natural and intuitive way. They offer a variety of functions, such as monitoring the home remotely, communicating with people, or waking people up in the morning. Their aim is to perform a wide array of tasks including educational functions, home security, diary duties, entertainment and message delivery services, etc. [4]

Contents

The idea of companionship with robots has already existed on science fictions of 1970s, like R2-D2. Starting from the late 20th century, companion robots started to came out on reality, mostly as robotic pets. Besides entertainment purposes, interactive robots were also introduced as a personal service robot for elderly care around 2000. [5] The use of artificial intelligence allows these robots to respond to human emotions. Through machine learning, they can analyze speech, tone, and facial expressions to detect whether you're happy, stressed, or feeling a bit down. [6]

Characteristics

The companion robots try to interact with users. They gathers information of users based on their interactions, and make the feedbacks. This procedure slightly varies based on their specific roles. For example, social companion robots make some simple conversations, while pet companion robots mimics as they are real pets.

Types

Companion robots can perform a variety of tasks and they are produced in a specialized manner according to their purpose or target audience in order to increase convenience and end user satisfaction.

Social companion robots

Social companion robots are designed to provide companionship and be a solution for unwanted solitude. They often mimic adult human, child or pet behaviours appealing to the user base. [7] Robots which are specifically devised for simple conversations, conveying emotions and respond to user feelings fall under this category.

Assistive companion robots

Assistive companion robots are aimed at people who require constant care because of age, disability or rehabilitation purposes. Such robots can help disadvantaged users with their daily tasks, act as reminders (e.g., for regular medication) and facilitate mobility in everyday actions. Assistive companion robots reduce the intensity of labour that should be performed by caretakers, nurses and legal guardians.[ citation needed ]

Educational companion robots

Educational companion robots perform tutorship for students, regardless of their ages, and can teach desired subjects with activities tailored for the user such as interactive assignments and games. Rather than replacing teachers and instructors, educational companion robots are aides to them.[ citation needed ]

Therapeutic companion robots

Designed for individuals coping with stress (PTSD in severe cases), anxiety and loneliness; therapeutic companion robots support users' emotional and mental wellbeing. Such robots can be utilized in hospitals and care facilities as well as dwellings where the distressed user may need the most help. Therapeutic companion robots bear a vast resemblance to assistive companion robots to the extent of being a branch of them; the nuance between these two types of companion robots is that the former is for long-term/lifetime usage while the latter is mostly for the duration of the therapy received by the user.[ citation needed ]

Pet companion robots

Pet companion robots are for individuals who seek an alternative to live pets as live animals demand a considerable amount of care and may not be eligible for people with allergies. These robots aim to be perfect imitations of a pet while diminishing the chore aspect of having one.[ citation needed ]

Entertainment companion robots

Entertainment companion robots are designed solely for entertainment and can provide numerous ways of entertainment, ranging from dancing to playing games with the user. People who would appreciate an individual to have fun with are the main audience of such products.[ citation needed ]

Personal assistant robots

Personal assistant robots help people with daily tasks, management, scheduling, reminding etc. Their area of activity can be offices as well as homes and public spaces.[ citation needed ]

Sex robots

Sex robots are anthropomorphic robotic sex dolls that have human-like movement or behavior, and some degree of artificial intelligence. [8] [9] As of 2025, although elaborately instrumented sex dolls have been created by a number of inventors, no fully animated sex robots yet exist. Simple devices have been created which can speak, make facial expressions, or respond to touch. [10] [11]

There is controversy as to whether developing them would be morally justifiable. [12] [13] In 2015, robot ethicist Kathleen Richardson called for a ban on the creation of anthropomorphic sex robots with concerns about normalizing relationships with machines and reinforcing female dehumanization. [14] [15] [16] Questions about their ethics, effects, and possible legal regulations have been discussed since then.

Examples

There are several companion robot prototypes, and these include Paro, CompanionAble, and EmotiRob, among others.

Paro

Paro is a pet-type robot system developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). The robot, which looked like a small harp seal, was designed as a therapeutic tool for use in hospitals and nursing homes. [17] [18] The robot is programmed to cry for attention and respond to its name. [17] Experiments showed that Paro facilitated elderly residents to communicate with each other, which led to psychological improvements. [18]

CompanionAble

This robot is classified as an FP 7 EU project. It is built to "cooperate with Ambient Assistive Living environment". [19] The autonomous device, which is also built to support the elderly, helps its owner interact with smart home environment as well as caregivers. The robot functions as a mobile friend, by which natural interaction is possible via speech and the touchscreen to detect and track people at home. [20] [21] [19]

EmotiRob

EmotiRob is developed in a robotics project which is the continuity of the MAPH (Active Media For the Handicap) project in emotion synthesis. [22] The aim of the project was to maintain emotional interaction with children. EmotiRob designed in a way that a child can hold it in a his/her arms and with which he/she could interact by talking to it, and then the robot would express itself through body postures or facial expressions. [22] It has cognitive capabilities, which are further extended so that the robot can have a natural linguistic interaction with its owner through the DRAGON speech-recognition software developed by a company called NUANCE. [23] Such interaction is expected to facilitate a child's cognitive development and develop new learning patterns. [23]

LOVOT

Lovot is a Japanese company robot whose only purpose is "to make you happy". [24] It features over 50 sensors that mimic the behavior of a human baby or small pet, a 360° camera with a microphone, the ability to distinguish humans from objects, neoteny eyes, and an internal warmth of 30° celsius. [25] An interactive Lovot Café was opened in Japan October 3, 2020. [26]

NICOBO

Nicobo was developed by Panasonic and was influenced by the loneliness of lockdowns created as a measure of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed to appear vulnerable, which creates empathy in its owners. Nicobo's name derives from the Japanese word for "smile". It wags its tail, engages in baby talk, and stays as a housemate. [27] [28]

Hyodol

Hyodol is an advanced care robot designed to support the elderly by reminding them to take their medications and monitoring their movements to keep their guardians informed. Additionally, this innovative robot can detect and respond to the emotional states of its elderly users, adding a layer of personalized care. Hyodol is designed with the appearance and speech style of a 7-year-old Korean grandchild, featuring a soft fabric exterior and user interaction methods such as striking the head or patting the back. It is equipped with various sensors and wireless communication technologies to collect and process data, supporting mobile apps and PC web monitoring systems for remote monitoring from anywhere. [29] In South Korea, approximately 10,000 Hyodol robots are deployed to the homes of elderly individuals living alone, providing essential support and companionship. Local governments, including provincial and county offices, have embraced Hyodol as a solution to address social challenges stemming from the country's rapidly aging society.Furthermore, the robot is widely utilized in the treatment of dementia patients at a university hospital in Gangwon province. [30] Hyodol was honored with the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO) in the "Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Health and Wellbeing" category on February 29, 2024. [30]

Moxie

Moxie was a companion robot for autistic children developed by a company called Embodied. Although it had limited motion, it presented itself as a lifelike avatar. It was designed to help the children learn emotional cognition, using remotely hosted large language models to direct its responses. When the company went out of business, the robots stopped working, with distressing results. [31] As of December 2024, there were plan to create an open-source backend to keep the devices runnning. [32]

Criticisms and concerns

The advent of companion robots has faced public criticism and concern, particularly regarding the ethical dilemmas of dependency on these devices. There are fears that such dependency could threaten the crucial child-caregiver bond. Concerns also extend to the potential impact of robot-assisted childcare on child development, with specific worries about the adverse effects on emotional and social skills due to reduced human interaction. [33]

Privacy and security issues have gained prominence as well, with companion robots like iPal capable of collecting and transmitting data, thus raising the risks of surveillance and data misuse. [33]

Besides concerns in child care, the integration of companion robots into the lives of the elderly and other vulnerable groups also raises concerns, specifically a problem of hallucinatory relationships. Individuals may begin to perceive these robots as sentient beings, leading to emotional attachments that blur the line between simulation and reality and dependency on robots. This could in turn worsen feelings of loneliness and detachment from humans. This highlights the necessity of implementing ethical guidelines and psychological support systems to navigate the complexities introduced by this technology, ensuring they serve as enhancements rather than replacements for human relationships. [34]

Companion robots in fiction

Companion robots have featured in numerous works of fiction, typically as part of a dystopian story. These include the TV series Humans and Better than Us , and the films Ex Machina , M3GAN and Companion. More positive depictions have been made in the films Big Hero 6 and Robot & Frank . [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assistive technology</span> Assistive devices for people with disabilities

Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, disabled people have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation", "security and control", and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have sustained injuries that affect their daily tasks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet</span> Animal kept for companionship rather than utility

A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/cute appearances, intelligence, and relatable personalities, but some pets may be taken in on an altruistic basis and accepted by the owner regardless of these characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual pet</span> Type of artificial human companion

A virtual pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment, or as an alternative to a real pet.

Artificial human companions may be any kind of hardware or software creation designed to give companionship to a person. Various types of large language models (LLMs) are used in the development of AI-based human companions. These can engage in natural and dynamic conversations, provide assistance, offer companionship, and even perform tasks like scheduling or information retrieval. Examples include digital pets, such as the popular Tamagotchi, or robots, such as the Sony AIBO. Virtual companions can be used as a form of entertainment, or they can be medical or functional, to assist the elderly in maintaining an acceptable standard of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social robot</span>

A social robot is an autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. Like other robots, a social robot is physically embodied. Some synthetic social agents are designed with a screen to represent the head or 'face' to dynamically communicate with users. In these cases, the status as a social robot depends on the form of the 'body' of the social agent; if the body has and uses some physical motors and sensor abilities, then the system could be considered a robot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Therapy dog</span> Dog with specific therapy training

A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.

Robotic pets are artificially intelligent machines that are made to resemble actual pets. While the first robotic pets produced in the late 1990s were not too advanced, they have since grown technologically. Many now use machine learning, making them much more realistic. Most consumers buy robotic pets with the aim of getting similar companionship that biological pets offer, without some of the drawbacks that come with caring for live animals. The pets on the market currently have a wide price range, from the low hundreds into the several thousands of dollars. Multiple studies have been done to show that we treat robotic pets in a similar way as actual pets, despite their obvious differences. However, there is some controversy regarding how ethical using robotic pets is, and whether or not they should be widely adopted in elderly care.

Human–robot interaction (HRI) is the study of interactions between humans and robots. Human–robot interaction is a multidisciplinary field with contributions from human–computer interaction, artificial intelligence, robotics, natural language processing, design, psychology and philosophy. A subfield known as physical human–robot interaction (pHRI) has tended to focus on device design to enable people to safely interact with robotic systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paro (robot)</span> Therapeutic robot

PARO is a therapeutic baby harp seal robot, intended to be very cute and to have a calming effect on and elicit emotional responses in patients of hospitals and nursing homes, similar to animal-assisted therapy except using robots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal-assisted therapy</span> Alternative or complementary type of therapy

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Studies have documented some positive effects of the therapy on subjective self-rating scales and on objective physiological measures such as blood pressure and hormone levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal robot</span>

A personal robot is one whose human interface and design make it useful for individuals. This is by contrast to industrial robots which are generally configured and operated by robotics specialists. A personal robot is one that enables an individual to automate the repetitive or menial part of home or work life making them more productive.

The Tamagotchi effect is the development of emotional attachment with machines, robots or software agents. It has been noticed that humans tend to attach emotionally to inanimate objects devoid of emotions of their own. For example, there are instances when people feel emotional about using their car keys, or with virtual pets. It is more prominent in applications which simulate or reflect some aspects of human behavior or characteristics, especially levels of artificial intelligence and automated knowledge processing.

Sex robots or sexbots are anthropomorphic robotic sex dolls that have human-like movement or behavior, and some degree of artificial intelligence. As of 2018, although elaborately instrumented sex dolls have been created by a number of inventors, no fully animated sex robots yet exist. Simple devices have been created which can speak, make facial expressions, or respond to touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic robot</span> Type of service robot

A domestic robot or homebot is a type of service robot, an autonomous robot that is primarily used for household chores, but may also be used for education, entertainment or therapy. While most domestic robots are simplistic, some are connected to Wi-Fi home networks or smart environments and are autonomous to a high degree. There were an estimated 16.3 million service robots in 2018.

Technoself studies, commonly referred to as TSS, is an interdisciplinary domain of research dealing with human identity in a technological society pioneered by Rocci Luppicini. It focuses on the changing nature of relationships between humans and technology. The term "technoself" aims to avoid ideological or philosophical biases inherent in other related terms including cyborg, posthuman, transhuman, techno-human, beman, digital identity, avatar, and homotechnicus, even though these categories "capture important aspects of human identity". Technoself is further elaborated and explored in Luppicini's "Handbook of Research on Technoself: Identity in a Technological Environment".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadine Social Robot</span> Social Humanoid Robot

Nadine is a gynoid humanoid social robot that is modelled on Professor Nadia Magnenat Thalmann. The robot has a strong human-likeness with a natural-looking skin and hair and realistic hands. Nadine is a socially intelligent robot which returns a greeting, makes eye contact, and can remember all the conversations had with it. It is able to answer questions autonomously in several languages, simulate emotions both in gestures and facially, depending on the content of the interaction with the user. Nadine can recognise persons it has previously seen, and engage in flowing conversation. Nadine has been programmed with a "personality", in that its demeanour can change according to what is said to it. Nadine has a total of 27 degrees of freedom for facial expressions and upper body movements. With persons it has previously encountered, it remembers facts and events related to each person. It can assist people with special needs by reading stories, showing images, put on Skype sessions, send emails, and communicate with other members of the family. It can play the role of a receptionist in an office or be dedicated to be a personal coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Carpenter</span> American Researcher, Educator, Author, Speaker, Human-Robot Interaction Specialist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loneliness in old age</span>

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References

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  2. ↑ "Robot caregivers are saving the elderly from lives of loneliness". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
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  21. ↑ Wang, Kelly. "'iPal' robot companion for China's lonely children" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
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  27. ↑ "NICOBO, a robot born out of empathy with consumers and sense of mission". Panasonic. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  28. ↑ "Introducing NICOBO - Panasonic's Smart but Vulnerable Companion". Panasonic Global News. Panasonic. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  29. ↑ "Hyodol". Hyodol. Panasonic. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  30. 1 2 "[MWC 24] S. Korean care robot company Hyodol wins health tech award at MWC". AJUPRESS. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  31. ↑ "AI Company That Made Robots For Kids Goes Under, Robots Die - Aftermath". aftermath.site. 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  32. ↑ "Moxie robot may be saved by a last-minute open-sourcing effort". AppleInsider. 2024-12-20. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  33. 1 2 Jones, Raya A. (2019-09-01). "Concerning the Apperception of Robot-Assisted Childcare". Philosophy & Technology. 32 (3): 445–456. doi:10.1007/s13347-018-0306-6. ISSN   2210-5441.
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  35. ↑ Teo, Yugin (March 2021). "Recognition, collaboration and community: science fiction representations of robot carers in Robot & Frank, Big Hero 6 and Humans". Medical Humanities. 47 (1): 95–102. doi:10.1136/medhum-2019-011744. ISSN   1468-215X. PMC   7907570 . PMID   32317298.
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