How does Alice work?

In a world that is becoming more digital, a world in which objects, services and people are 24-7 connected with each other, social robot Alice has the potential to become the orchestrator of care. A combination of sensors, the connection with other objects and an easy to use interface enables Alice to be constantly up to date about the (healthcare) needs of her user.

Decrease feelings of loneliness

To decrease feelings of loneliness amongst elderly, Alice can function as a welfare companion. She is able to have a conversation, see what her companion is doing and by scanning her environment, Alice is able to react and adapt to situations in her surroundings.

With Alice, elderly can connect with peers or caretakers, can be reminded of daily activities and can be socially entertained by for example enjoying music or getting the latest news upon request. Alice can also have a social function within a group as she is able to connect people with each other.

Support the level of independence

Alice is able to support the self-reliance of elderly. The self-esteem of elderly remains high if they can live longer independently and if they continue to have control over their own lives. This will increase the feeling of independence with vulnerable elderly. By creating the awareness that someone is caring for Alice, the self-reliance of the user will increase.

Ecosystem Alice

Based on the demands of the elderly, Alice will connect the user with the service that is relevant for the user at that specific moment. Whether it is about reserving a wheelchair taxi, the delivery of groceries, sending a WhatsApp message, or getting medical assistance. The technological possibilities are endless. Together with elderly, relatives, medical professionals, health care institutions and other partners we are aiming to extend the services of Alice bit by bit in order to produce something that really matters!

How do we guarantee privacy? - The Robot Brain Server

The purpose of the Robot Brain Server is to allow the user to interact with one or more social robots in a safe and unobserved manner. The server is stored in a cabinet at home and only connects to the Internet if the user wants so. The robots are securely connected to the server, which runs all heavy-duty programs, including data management, security, and artificial intelligence. The Brain Server does learn about its user, but does not share that information with anyone unless the user wants to. The information can be shared through graded access. For example, medical information is shared with the doctor, but not with the health insurer. Holiday stories are open to everyone. And family issues are only shared with the spouse. The user determines who may know what about the data stored in a data safe at the user's home. The Brain Server has a modular structure, allowing the user to replace a program with something he or she thinks is better suited. The integrity of the standard software is guaranteed by an independent foundation that checks the code for errors, viruses, malware, marketing and spyware.

Hoorn, J. F. (2018). The Robot Brain Server, design of a human-artificial systems partnership. In W. Karwowski, & T. Ahram (Eds.), Intelligent Human Systems Integration. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 722 (pp. 531-536). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-73888-8_83; https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-73888-8_83