Minnesota Nursing Homes Introduces Robot Caregivers - Voicebot.ai

A Minnesota nursing home has begun using two AI-powered robots as care assistants for those with dementia or early-stage Alzheimer's. The Pepper and NAO robots, both built by Softbank, were customized by roboticists at the University of Minnesota, Duluth to interact and enhance the independence of residents at The Estates of Roseville, followed by another seven nursing homes. The four-foot-tall Pepper and two-foot-tall NAO are set to engage with patients through conversation and observation. The human-shaped robots can measure facial expressions, body language, and vocal tones while adjusting their own faces and voices to simulate human interaction. The robots are programmed to remind residents to exercise and eat, leading them in dance and telling jokes.