Mar. 9 – The carer of the house is reliable, safe, and punctual. It helps older people in daily tasks and duties, including delivering the groceries, taking out the trash, reminding the owner when it’s time to take medications, and going for walks. These carers are careful, precise, and always available. And then, if it spots a suspicious shadow, it activates immediately. This carer has one very special feature: it is composed of three advanced robotic systems, perfectly integrated into intelligent environments, that can cooperate and interact with each other and with people. These systems have been developed within the European project Robot-Era, coordinated by the Institute of Biorobotics of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa. And now the domestic robotic assistants are ready to be showcased in Brussels. Today and tomorrow, they will star in a meeting promoted by the European Commission to reflect on how innovation – in the particular case of the robotic industry – can create the basis for a society that deals successfully with the challenges faced by a significant slice of its population, helping keep it as healthy and as independent as possible. The special robot created at the Sant’Anna of Pisa will be presented with a video shot in Tuscany. In Brussels, it joins another 16 projects, all personal robotic assistants engaged in demonstrations of their many functions. Paolo Dario, director of the Institute of Biorobotics and coordinator of the project, will illustrate the possibility of a strategic partnership between the public and private sector to improve expectations and the quality of life of older people. (Red)
