Loneliness can be as harmful as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. The most susceptible are senior citizens, which is why Service Robotics Ltd had the idea of creating GenieConnect in August 2017.
The purpose of GenieConnect is to provide more than robotic assistance for the elderly and the overall vulnerable population. Aside from reminding them to take medication or go to appointments on time, it also helps in maintaining human connections.
Connecting with AI
GenieConnect is a voice and video-enabled AI robot. It is designed to assist elderly folk in their day-to-day life. While it can give out reminders, it also acts as a companion to stave off loneliness.
Very excited to be launching the new twitter site for Service Robotics. We will keep you up to date on the adventure of GenieConnect®and everything associated with it! pic.twitter.com/rVLFFtMXhb
— GenieConnect® (@ServiceRobotics) July 30, 2019
There’s a lot more than GenieConnect can offer. Here are some of its main features:
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Contacting health and well-being support team
The robot can assist in contacting a care operator if needed. This trained operator can help with any concerns or questions.
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Interactively communicate with family members
It can assist in doing video calls with your family and friends. Human connection is an important aspect so it helps to keep contact with loved ones. You can also opt to chat with it.
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Conversational AI
GenieConnect has voice recognition and can converse naturally, so you can talk to it just like you would talk to anybody else. It will understand and answer you properly, as well as make questions and request for information if necessary.
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More than an AI assistant
You can control its movements with voice commands via WiFi connection from a smartphone. You can also enjoy surfing the internet, using it as a camera, uploading album, and even playing videos. It also offers remote monitoring in real-time. Aside from that, this intuitive robot is able to learn likes and dislikes as well as provide stimulating content.
Live independently and safely
Most people who are medically fit would still stay at hospitals or care centers simply because they don’t have anybody at home. This is where a person’s mental health could be most vulnerable to depression. We need to prevent loneliness and depression from creeping in, and GenieConnect seems to be a great way to do it. Learn more about depression loneliness in this article from BetterHelp.
GenieConnect helps our elders to move through life with dignity and autonomy. Currently, its crowdfunding campaign at Crowdcube has been met and it is expected to be launched in summer this year.
This guest article has been prepared by Lilybeth Conde.
YouTube: GenieConnect®
Photo credits: The feature image has been done by Diana Spatariu.
Editorial notice: This article has been made possible by site supporters. Update November 5th, 2020: As the Crowdcube project site is no longer available we have removed the link in the article.
