PEARL has been helping six elderly residents get around their retirement community in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. She’s their companion, guide, mobile aide-memoire and she’s a whizz with the TV listings. But she’s not a nurse, she a robot, delegates heard.
Pearl’s chief task is to remind people of their appointments, their mealtimes and social events, and to escort them to their destinations. And Pearl’s first test runs are driving home the message that AI researchers need to get out of the lab and into the community if they really want to understand the needs of the people they are trying to help.…
