When you think of a kid-friendly toy, you probably don’t think of an almost all-white humanoid robot with no facial features except two big black eyes. Honestly, if I saw one of these, I’d probably run the other way. But, one Chinese robotics company has created a 3.5-foot tall humanoid robot meant to be a companion for both children and elderly alike.
Created in 2017 by Nanjing AvatarMind Robot Technology, the iPal is “a teacher for children with spoken language learning and tablet-based educational programs,” as well as “a constant companion that supplements personal care services” for the elderly. Essentially, it is a miniature human, about three-and-a-half feet tall and weighing 28 pounds. Motors in its body allow it to move its arms and swivel its head, which it does to complement the speech or music that can come out of a speaker built into it. It also has a base with motorized wheels, allowing it to roll and spin around.
Multiple sensors allow it to detect objects in front of it, so that it doesn’t collide into anything while it’s moving. It can also apparently recognize people and voices, and say “Hi, [name],” and have a conversation. The iPal has a built-in Android tablet, which can connect to WiFi and Bluetooth, and to which applications can be downloaded.
The iPal is meant to make education fun for children. It can tell stories, play games, dance, or let them video chat with friends. Besides these, the iPal has many educational programs, meant to teach children in an engaging and unique way, while encouraging their interest in science and technology. Parents can also remotely control the iPal and monitor their child’s activities.
The other main market for the iPal is the elderly. Many elderly live alone with no one to talk to or keep them company. Besides this, the iPal can also function as a reminder for various activities, such as taking their daily medications, or even when it’s time to eat. It can also act as an emergency system, and be used to request help during medical emergencies.
Besides children or the elderly, the iPal could also function as a greeter in stores or even hotels. It certainly does show a lot of innovation, and may be one of the closest robots we currently have that are meant to act like and interact with humans. Many people predict that in the future many jobs that are currently occupied by humans will be lost to robots like this, and the iPal may be on the track to proving them right.
I think the idea of using it for the elderly could work really well. The only problem I see is getting them to understand the technology and how to use it.
This is straight out of terminator. As helpful and cute this “Pal” might seem, all I can imagine is his arm liquifying and turning into metal stabby things that will try and take over the world and kill my wife to prevent the humans from winning in the future. If one day it’s not there I’m just going to assume it’s time traveling and that the world is over.
It’s smart how the robot was designed to target two demographics, kids and the elderly. The iPal is definitely way more advanced than the tools we used to make education fun and could ultimately have large benefits on the future generations. I think my Grandma would be scared at first if I bought her an iPal but ultimately I think it would prove to be very useful.
iPal reminds me of the robots in Wall-E and seems like they have a similar purpose. I think iPal might be difficult for the elderly to adjust to because they may be less familiar with technology, but I think this robot would be a great way to engage students in the classroom.