New AI-Based Technology Can Programme Robots to Help People Locate Lost Essential Items

The researchers want to initially use the technology to help people with dementia, and in future anyone who needs to search for misplaced items.

By Press Trust of India | Updated: 15 May 2023 17:29 IST

New AI-Based Technology Can Programme Robots to Help People Locate Lost Essential Items

Photo Credit: Pexels

Researchers believe that a companion robot with an episodic memory could be a game-changer

Highlights

Dementia patients repeatedly forget the location of everyday objects
Researchers have succeeded in using AI to create an artificial memory
The team used an object-detection algorithm to programme robots

Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) based technology to programme robots to help people locate essential objects such as medicines, glasses, phones and other items they have lost.

The researchers want to initially use the technology to help people with dementia, and in future anyone who needs to search for something they have misplaced.

"The long-term impact of this is really exciting," said Ali Ayub, a post-doctoral fellow at the the University of Waterloo in Canada.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

"A user can be involved not just with a companion robot but a personalised companion robot that can give them more independence," Ayub said.

Dementia restricts brain function, causing confusion, memory loss and disability. Many people with the condition repeatedly forget the location of everyday objects, which diminishes their quality of life and places additional burden on caregivers.

The researchers believe that a companion robot with an episodic memory of its own could be a game-changer in such situations. And they succeeded in using AI to create a new kind of artificial memory.

Meta Will Test AI-Powered Ads Tools That Can Create Text, Image Content

The team used an object-detection algorithm to programme the robot to detect, track and keep a memory log of specific objects in its camera view through stored video.

With the robot capable of distinguishing one object from another, it can record the time and date objects enter or leave its view.

The researchers then developed a graphical interface to enable users to choose objects they want to be tracked and, after typing the objects' names, search for them on a smartphone app or computer.

Here’s How the New Google AI Search Is Different From Bard Chatbot

Once that happens, the robot can indicate when and where it last observed the specific object, the researchers said.

Tests have shown the system is highly accurate. And while some individuals with dementia might find the technology daunting, Ayub said caregivers could readily use it.

The researchers will now conduct user studies with people without disabilities, then people with dementia.

A paper on the project was presented at the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction in March in Stockholm, Sweden.

Google I/O 2023 saw Google tell us repeatedly that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.