PALRO promotes rich communication among elderly people through conversation. Despite being a humanoid robot with a full range of intelligent technologies, it has a compact body with a height of 40 cm and a weight of 1.6 kg. Even an elderly person can easily lift it and move it safely. Furthermore, the operation of PALRO involves no complicated steps. You can make it move just by talking to it. PARLO supports active senior citizens in various scenarios, such as when an elderly person is living alone at home and can't have pets like a dog or cat, at a care house, or a nursing home. The practicality and scope of its use as a lifestyle support robot is not bounded by the limitations of conventional robots.
Safety / risk management
All of PALRO's parts are rounded and assembled securely so that anyone who touches it doesn't get their fingers caught. When PALRO is picked up, it automatically goes limp and stops moving as a precaution to prevent it from falling as a result of unexpected movement. PALRO, which is often used on top of a table, has a built-in camera and distance sensor to recognize and understand its surroundings. It can sense danger when it gets to the edge of the table. It is programmed to stop before it reaches the edge. It can also detect tall obstacles with the built-in camera, and it stop moving autonomously when it senses that it's coming into contact with danger. Furthermore, PALRO is designed not to walk when it is connected to the AC adapter.
Usability
PALRO can be operated by talking to it. It's no problem even if you are no good with computers or machines. PALRO is programmed to be operated through the flow of natural conversation. Its noise-reduction system has been devised for accurate voice recognition even in a noisy environment, and awkward misunderstandings in the conversation are completely eliminated because PALRO confirms what it thinks was said, saying, "Did you say XX?", in situations where voice recognition is difficult.
Design / movement / voice
By adopting a round, cute design and colors, we have reduced the hardness and intimidating impression common to robots to the maximum extent possible. The novel, rounded form gives it an appearance which elderly people tend to find cute and feel affinity towards. Also, we have been extremely particular about giving PALRO the most adorable movements. PALRO's adorable gestures have only been made possible through movement by means of no less than 20 actuators (servos and motors), and this achievement has resulted from a huge number of demonstration experiments related to movement. Furthermore, we have also been particular about giving it a voice like a young child, and just the right reply timing as if it is playing it just a little dumb. It all amounts to the maximum friendliness possible in a conversational robot.
The sale of "PALRO for home use" is currently under consideration! Please inquire for details.
