Ami-Chan, the doll with artificial intelligence that accompanies the elderly in confinement
Print/DownloadAmi is designed to create her own personality, learn grandparents’ names, and even remember their birthdays and the seasons of the year.
3 min read
This article was translated from our Spanish edition using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process.
The pandemic affected people of all ages in different ways, however, there is a special concern for the elderly. Not being close to their families or friends made them lead a lonelier life. That is why the Takara Tomy company developed a doll with artificial intelligence to reduce the isolation of older adults.
Image: Takara Tomy, Youtube
Christened Ami-Chan , the doll was designed as a little (robotic) granddaughter. It seems to be inspired by some Studio Ghibli character , with big eyes and a small smile. Ami can blink or close her eyes to appear asleep, in addition to sitting up like any other toy. However, the difference is the use of language and verbal comprehension. The robot has a vocabulary of approximately 1,600 Japanese words and can learn more to create its own personality.
Image: Takara Tomy, Youtube
But that’s not all, the robot with artificial intelligence can learn the names of those who interact with it, as well as the birthday dates and has a camera for facial recognition to identify who it is “talking” to and thus create a more credible bond .
To keep older adults company, Ami-chan sings 40 different rhymes, songs and tongue twisters to stimulate certain areas of the brain and help keep it active, even programmed to identify the season of the year. In Takara Tomy’s video you can see how the grannies interact with Ami and some even cry. She will only need batteries to function and measures 30 centimeters to facilitate the grip of the elderly person. According to data from the Japanese government, almost 36 million are elderly and around 6 million live alone.
Image: Takara Tomy, Twitter
The doll will be launched on the market on August 27 and will cost 250 dollars (5,088 Mexican pesos approximately). The company expects to sell more than 50,000 units a year.
A good idea or a little creepy?
