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                      Family Robots ' The Next Big Thing?

   by George Putic

   Robots that can help us with daily chores like cooking and cleaning are
   a long way off, but automatons that serve as family companions may be
   much closer. Researchers in the United States, France, Japan and other
   countries are racing to build robots that can entertain and perform
   some simpler tasks for us.

   Several years after it was introduced to the world, the advanced
   Japanese humanoid robot Asimo is still serving only as a demonstration
   and experimentation platform. Even if available for purchase, it would
   be too expensive for ordinary families.

   It is much easier and cheaper to build a robot like Jibo, which uses
   simple movements and has the ability to interact with people through
   sound, pictures and touch.

   Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Cynthia Breazeal
   created Jibo initially as a platform for exploring how people
   communicate with technology.

   "Jibo as a robot is something that can move, with cameras that can move
   and see you and interact with you like a living thing, so to speak. It
   can bring content to life off the screen in an entirely new way,"
   explained Brezeal.

   Jibo can remind you about appointments, take photos, entertain people
   and tell stories to children.

   Breazeal said it also incorporates touch-sensitive technology.

   "People often communicate through touch, so they might pat Jibo if it
   does something that they like and Jibo can actually learn from that,"
   said Breazeal.

   Therapists at Amici di Nico Autism Center, in Lecce, Italy, use a small
   talking robot to treat autistic children.

   11-year old Marco has shown great improvement in focusing and
   communication since he started playing with the robot that carefully
   keeps track of the child's behavior, said engineer Giuseppe Palestra.

   "We would like to be one step ahead of state of the art, so that we can
   make the human-robot interaction better, and let's say 'humanize' the
   interaction between the robot and the child," said Palestra.

   Researchers say they want to develop robots that can be programmed for
   individual patients, because each child reacts differently to outside
   stimuli.

   French researcher Pierre Lebeau's family robot Keecker was designed as
   an entertainment platform that can follow its owner around.

   "I came up with the idea of a computer with a projector inside and a
   great sound system and a camera, something that can move and go to any
   room to give me a kind of TV-like experience, but anywhere I want
   without the cables and the complexity," said Lebeau.

   Researchers say robots intended for entertainment may soon be on the
   market with prices ranging from about $500 to $5,000 - still expensive
   for ordinary buyers. Therapeutic robots are still in the experimental
   phase but they too point to what we can expect from artificial
   intelligence in the near future.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/family-robots-the-next-big-thing/2419
   498.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/family-robots-the-next-big-thing/2419498.html