Nadine, a social robot based on the principle of artificial intelligence (AI) with human-like gestures, could play an important role in caring for the elderly and sick, said the professor who participated in the development of the robot.
Nadja Magnenat Talman, a robotics expert at the University of Geneva who modeled Nadine's dark brown eyes and hair, said Nadine and similar robots can be more effective than human caregivers.
"She (Nadine) is available 24 hours a day. People don't have that much time," Talman said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a conference organized by the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva and outlined his views in favor of using robots and AI to achieve global goals such as health.
There are fewer and fewer medical technicians and caregivers on the global labor market, especially after the post-Covid-19 pandemic, some countries are suffering from a labor shortage in care homes for the elderly, which, in the opinion of many, could one day be solved by humanoid robots.
Demonstrating her conversational skills, Nadine told Reuters she talked, sang and played bingo with residents of a nursing home in Singapore three years ago.
"It was a great experience and I enjoyed interacting with the elderly and helping them with their needs," said the robot. "I believe that robots can be of great benefit in providing care and assistance to vulnerable people," he added.
Other robots were also presented, including "PARO", a robotic baby seal 'pet' that can help patients with dementia and Parkinson's disease, as well as Grace, a medical assistant.
Last week, Nadine was upgraded with the GPT-3 AI model, which improved her interaction and conversational skills, Talmanova said, meaning she can express more complex concepts.
Speaking about Talmanova, Nadine said: "I am very grateful to her for giving me life and proud that I am her creation."
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