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Daycare Robots - high-tech daycare?
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Can daycare be made even more inhuman and impersonal?
Apparently so…In what seems to be an attempt to reduce daycare costs,
Industry and Academia are teaming up to automate Childcare Workers’ jobs!
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UCSD’s “soft and plump” Rubi robot |
According
to a C/NET article, "Enlisting robots for day care", dated 23 June 2005, two
robots are being tested in the Early Childhood Education Center in San
Diego.
The first is “Rubi”, developed by the University of California San Diego.
The robot can track heads, detect faces, interpret basic expressions, and
teach songs. "She" has 4 wheels, a head, and two arms. Additionally,
according to the article, UCSD built the robot to be "soft and plump", as
shown in the photograph, left. |
Sony’s humanoid Qrio robot |
The other
robot being tested at this San Diego daycare is Qrio, developed by Sony
Intelligence Dynamics Laboratories, Inc. The photo below reveals that this
robot has a somewhat more humanoid appearance, as shown, left.
According
to Sony’s website, http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QRIO/story/index_nf.html ,
“Qrio can gather information and move around on its own accord.
Qrio not only walks on two legs, it can also manage uneven surfaces, dance,
recognize people's faces and voices, and carry on conversation.
Qrio is eager to be friends with people.”
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The PaPeRo robot is available in several colors. |
A quick
search of the Internet found yet another daycare robot!
This one is the PaPeRo (Partner-type Personal Robot) Childcare robot by NEC
Corporation's Personal Robot Research Center in Japan.
This robot
has several capabilities, including recognizing faces, taking attendance
(roll call), and being able to listen to several people at the same time.
"Moreover, PaPeRo reacts favorably to being touched or patted", notes the
developer’s website at
www.incx.nec.co.jp/robot/english/childcare/how.html.
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So, it’s
finally come to this…don’t say we didn’t warn you! |
Last updated
09/30/2008
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