Aged care provider Meath Care’s Michael Lee Centre is working with Curtin University and The Brainary to develop a fully autonomous, animal-like robot companion for those living in residential care.
Residents at the aged care home located in the Perth suburb of Como, will soon be able to interact with MiRo, a robot companion that delivers an experience similar to having a pet.
“While human touch and human care is irreplaceable, robots can potentially provide entertainment, cognitive simulation, education, information, and in the case of MiRo, a sense of companionship to aged care residents,” said Meath Care CEO Olive Wright.
Miro is similar in size and appearance to a small dog and is designed to give a little bit of joy to residents who are unable to have visits from friends or family.
Curtin University’s Professor Tele Tan says final year computing students are putting the finishing touches on Miro (something like ‘puppy preschool’) and once he’s fully-programmed, he’ll be introduced to select residents at the Michael Lee Centre.
“We’re really excited to work with MiRo and come up with engaging programs for the petoid, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the daily interactive experience for aged care residents,” Professor Tan said.
Still no word on how good he’ll be at fetch, but as long as he doesn’t dig up the backyard, we think he’ll do just fine.
