Meet RAS,
the home support robot

TECHNOLOGY

The Robot Activity Support System (RAS), created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists, could help elderly people with dementia and other limitations live independently in their own homes.

Diane Cook

REGENTS PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DIRECTOR OF CASAS

Study: Robot-enabled support of daily activities in smart home environments

CASAS recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently. CASAS researchers recruited 26 undergraduate and graduate students to complete three activities in a smart home with RAS as an assistant: preparing to walk the dog, taking medication with food and water and watering household plants.

 

When smart home sensors detected a human failed to initiate or was struggling with a task, RAS received a message. The robot then used its mapping and navigation camera, sensors and software to find the person and offer assistance. The person could indicate through a tablet interface that they wanted to see a video of the next step in the activity they were performing, a video of the entire activity or they could ask the robot to lead them to objects needed to complete the activity. Afterwards the study participants were asked to rate the robot’s performance. Most participants rated RAS’ performance favourably and found the robot’s tablet interface easy to use. They also reported the next step video as being the most useful of the prompts.

WSU master's student Nish Raghunath demonstrates the interactions between a human and a helper robot at the WSU Smart Apartment in Pullman.

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© Copyright Prysmian Group.

All rights reserved.