• : I'mnovation
    Imnovation
      • Startups
      • esp
      • eng
    • Energy
    • Construction
    • Water
    • dt Created with Sketch. Digital Transformation
    • st Created with Sketch. Science & Technology
    • Society
    • SUSCRÍBETE A NUESTRA RSS
      • Startups
      • esp
      • eng
  • Home
  • Society
  • robot-hand-teaches-children-wash-hands/
Previous Next
  • This Friendly Robot Teaches Children to Wash Their Hands

    The test for this robotic technology was carried out in a village in India, where the device helped improving child hygiene.

Robots in factories, robots exploring the depths of the seas, robots working on offshore oil rigs… When thinking about the main applications of robotics, most of those that come to mind are related to manufacturing and industrial uses. Robots, however, are also called to play an important role in social terms, whether by assisting seniors or in education tasks. And that is the approach that they are exploring at the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) in a joint technology project with the University of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in India. The outcome is a robotic technology to improve child hygiene in the village of Kalpetta, in the Wayanad district. Dubbed “Pepe,” their device is a hand-shaped robot with its mouth on a screen that helps to raise awareness amongst the kids at the local primary school about the importance of regular handwashing.

The robot hand, which features a set of eyes, so the one hundred students at the school feel like it is paying attention to them, speaks in Malayalam, their mother tongue, which creates a sense of closeness. Pepe’s developers were seeking to establish an emotional bond with the students by using an animated mouth, as well as leveraging the “Hawthorne effect,” whereby people change their behavior when feeling observed. The robot is controlled from a nearby room with screens that receive the video stream and from where a human operator activates the device.

The initial tests of this technology project have been a success, as the percentage of children washing their hands was boosted by 40 percent. These figures are especially relevant when considering that every year 300,000 children die all over the world because of diarrhea and other diseases related to the lack of handwashing. Additionally, the school is using this robotic technology to spark interest in STEM degrees among students.

Pepe has been manufactured with already existing technologies, which has enabled to keep the cost down to 7,000 rupees (around 90 €). The technology is expected to be implemented in other educational centers across India throughout 2020.

The advent of the social robotics age

Although social robots are a growing trend, previous experiments in the field, such as the Aibo robot, have not garnered the anticipated interest. The challenge is developing robots able to convey empathy and that are not perceived by users as intruders. It looks like the key, beyond anthropomorphic expressions, lies in deep learning, artificial intelligence, and personality. This, at least, is the belief of Mita Yun, a former Google engineer behind Zoetic AI and Kiki, the company’s cat robot, which made its debut at the CES 2019 technology show.    

According to Yun, Kiki benefits from progress made in psychology, social sciences, and technology. Thus, each device has its own personality traits and learns from its environment and its owner. Substantial effort has been made too in terms of privacy, as Kiki is not connected to the cloud nor transmits information online. Instead, it processes all data locally. The developers of this robot envisage its use at home to educate children, keep company and monitor people with motor or cognitive disabilities. If they strike the right note is yet to be seen.

    

Source: TechXplore, ZDNET

  • Robots

Share on social media

{{CommentsCount}} Comments

Currently no one has commented on the news.
Be the first to leave a comment.

{{firstLevelComment.Name}}

{{firstLevelComment.DaysAgo}} days ago

{{firstLevelComment.Text}}

Answer

{{secondLevelComment.Name}}

{{secondLevelComment.DaysAgo}} days ago

{{secondLevelComment.Text}}

Write your comment

All fields are mandatory.

Name

Email address

Comments

250 max char.

Accept the information on data protection

You must accept the information on data protection

{{btnSendCommentText}}

Thank you for your comment

Information on data protection

In compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on Data Protection and with other Data Protection regulations in force, you are hereby informed that your personal data shall be processed by Acciona, S.A. (hereinafter “ACCIONA”), whose identification data are as follows: Tax ID No. (NIF): A08001851, Address: Avenida de Europa, 18, Parque Empresarial de la Moraleja, 28108 in Alcobendas, Madrid, Tel. No.: +34 91 663 28 50, email: protecciondedatos@acciona.com, in order to address and manage your queries, requests, claims and suggestions, as well as to electronically send information regarding our products and services through the contact email address.

The consent given by users when they contact us comprises the legal grounds for processing the data.

The data shall be stored as long as the relationship is maintained and the elimination thereof is not requested, and in any case, never for more than twelve months.

In the event your request is not addressed to ACCIONA but to an entity belonging to the Acciona Group, such entity shall transmit the data to the Group company that can most efficiently address your request for information or a service. Accordingly, when these data are transferred such transfer may be international due to the fact that these companies are located in countries outside the European Union, in order to address the communication needs among the individuals that comprise the Group at the global level. (You can consult a list of Group companies at www.acciona.com/shareholders-investors/financial-information/annual-accounts/. By accepting the privacy terms, you consent to your data being transferred internationally in order for your request to be properly processed. Other data transfers are not anticipated, except where required by law.

The interested party can exercise their rights of portability and to access, correct, eliminate, restrict and oppose the processing of their data before Acciona, S.A. by addressing ACCIONA in writing at the Department of Data Protection located at Avenida de Europa, 18, 28108, in Alcobendas, Madrid or by sending an email to the following address: protecciondedatos@acciona.com. In either case, the interested party must enclose or attach a copy of their National ID (DNI) or other ID. Furthermore, at any time the interested party may withdraw the granted consent by contacting the aforementioned address and file a claim before the Supervisory Authority (the Spanish Data Protection Agency www.aepd.es).

You can find more information in our Privacy Policy on our website.

Subscribe to our newsletter

... and stay informed with the latest news on innovation.

Send me the newsletter
{{ btnSendText }}

Wrong email format

Accept the information on data protection

You must accept the information on data protection

YOU'RE JUST ONE STEP AWAY!

Please, confirm your subscription on the email we have sent you and your registration will be completed.

YOU ARE ALREADY SUBSCRIBED TO THE NEWSLETTER!

If you've missed our content, try checking your junk mailbox and add us to your address book so you can enjoy them without any problem.

Information on data protection

In compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on Data Protection and with other Data Protection regulations in force, you are hereby informed that your personal data shall be processed by Acciona, S.A. (hereinafter “ACCIONA”), whose identification data are as follows: Tax ID No. (NIF): A08001851; Address: Avenida de Europa, 18, Parque Empresarial La Moraleja, 28108 in Alcobendas, Madrid; Tel. No.: +34 91 663 28 50; email: protecciondedatos@acciona.com. Your data shall be processed in order to send you information, through the subscription to our Newsletter through electronic means, regarding our latest technological innovation of ACCIONA´s initiative "I’MNOVATION #Hub", which aims to bring the general public main news, advances and curiosities of the innovation technology of all the companies that make up the ACCIONA Group.

 

The consent given by the data subject by indicating that they have read and accept this data protection information comprises the lawfulness of processing. The data provide is your email address. If you fails to provide the required data, the subscription Request cannot be satisfied. We may also process your satisfaction or preferences, if you voluntarily respond to surveys. Data shall be stored until the elimination is requested.

In order to carry out our purpose, we may give access to your data to service providers (such as technology service providers) who assist us in fulfilling this purpose. Some of its service providers, may be located outside of the European Economic Area in territories that do not offer a level of data protection that is comparable to that of the European Union. In such cases, we transfer User data with appropriate safeguards and always ensuring the security of the same.

 

The data subject can exercise their rights of portability and to access, correct, eliminate, restrict and oppose the processing of their data to Acciona, S.A. by writing the Department of Data Protection located at Avenida de Europa, 18, 28108, Parque Empresarial La Moraleja, in Alcobendas, Madrid or by sending an email to the following address: protecciondedatos@acciona.com. If we consider it necessary in order to be able to identify you, we may ask you for a copy of an identity document. Furthermore, at any time the data subject may withdraw the granted consent by contacting the aforementioned address and file a claim to the Supervisory Authority (Agencia Española de Protección de Datos www.aepd.es). You can also unsubscribe from the Newsletter communication.

 

For any further information you can visit the Privacy Police on the website https://www.acciona.com/privacy-policy/.

More about Society

  • Society

    Educational robotics: the robots are kids stuff

    Schools are now introducing the basic principles of robotics to children at a very early age.

  • Society

    Mineral carbonation of CO2, a rock solid remedy for global warming

    Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the long-term solution, but capturing them and transforming them into something harmless could prove helpful – and viable – in the meantime

  • Society

    Mathematics and technology at the service of fire prevention

    Wireless sensors, Big Data analysis and computation merge into an innovative project for forest fire occurrence management.

Featured topics

Read the most discussed articles

  • Innovation
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Society
  • Robots
  • Future
  • Renewable energies
  • Computing
  • Water
  • Urbanism
  • Recycled plastic

Categories

  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Water
  • Digital Transformation
  • Science & Technology
  • Society

Featured topics

  • Innovation
  • Renewable energies
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Water
  • Robots

Innovation is a change that introduces new features. The concept is generally used in the sense of inventions, new ideas, devices, methods and processes, and the application of improved solutions meeting fresh economic or societal requirements. Strictly speaking, however, ideas can only be termed “innovations” once they have imposed themselves as successful new products, services or procedures.

About us
Subscribe to our RSS
Imnovation
Acciona

An ACCIONA innovation initiative

  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Legal notice
  • Site map
  • Contact
  • ACCIONA's websites