Times of India ( 04 Oct 2016 ) carries a news report
titled :
" In Japan , Robot Babies to make
lonely people happy / Bot is built in a way to invoke an Emotional Connect "
The report reads :
"
Paro , a robot baby seal marketed by Japanese company, Intelligent
System Co Ltd , acts as a therapeutic machine to soothe elderly dementia sufferers
Around a quarter of Japan's population is
over 65 with a dearth
of care workers , putting strain on social services
Toyota, sees its own robot , Kirobo Mini as a stepping stone to more advanced
robots that will be able to recognize and react to human emotions "
Do Indian Start-Ups see an opportunity here for offering
to the World's frustrated / depressed / dejected millions , an online /
profitable " Social Service " managed by real humans , with whom , no robot
, however advanced , can compete ?
They should have absolutely no doubt re the viability
of such " Service Offering " , after reading my following blog
And what better choice of a day than today - The World Mental Health Day - to offer to the
World , some " Not-So-Robot
" sympathizing friends !
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Sunday, 24 July 2016
Share
- Your - Soul / Outsourcing Unlimited
Business Line ( 23 July , 2016 ) carried an interesting
report re mushrooming of " Rent-a-Friend " services in Japan, where
you can " rent " ( on hourly basis ) , a fake friend , a family
member or a companion for various occasions
One Nashimoto even " rents " himself out for "
conversation " to 30 / 40 clients a month ( 70 % women ), for $ 10 per
hour . He has an online service .
All kinds of people ( young and old / rich and not-so-rich ),
engage him for reasons ranging from,
* lack of family support / keeping company ( physically or
online )
* social isolation / detachment from society
* desire to speak out freely without inhibitions
* advice on dealing with bosses..........etc
Now , online space is overflowing with some genuine ( and some ,
otherwise ) , " Escort Services " in many countries ( including , in
India ) , which are very expensive
And for every rich person in need of such an escort service ,
there are a hundred , not-so-rich and needy persons , who just need someone
online , from time to time , to pour out their hearts !
I believe , thousands of educated / unemployed Indians are well
placed to render such " Listening " services to needy persons all
around the World , remotely , using Skype / FaceTime
Here is an outline of my suggestion , re how young / educated /
unemployed Indians can offer such service :
# VEHICLE
This strictly " Online " service
will have a platform called , www...COUCH...com ( supported by a
Mobile App )
# USERS
There will be two kinds of users who will
register on this site , viz:
* " Talkers " , who
want to engage someone who will listen to them / sympathize with them
* " Listeners " , who
will listen patiently / ask occasional question / offer advice - sympathy
- empathy
# REGISTRATION FORM
For both type of users , the Registration Form will require to
submit following details :
* Personal Details ( Name / DOB / Gender / Nationality
/ Bank Account No / Photo / Short Video etc )
* Family Details ( Who are members of immediate
family ? )
* Contact Details ( Address / Mobile No / Email
ID / Skype - FaceTime ID / WatsApp..etc )
* Social Media Footprint ( Facebook / LinkedIn /
Twitter : No of Friends - Contacts - Connections - Followers )
* Cultural Exposure ( Countries visited / lived-in
, with stay-periods / Foreign friends )
* Educational Details ( Degrees / Colleges ) .
Listeners having degree in Psychology will get ranked higher !
* Language Details ( Languages spoken / fluently -
reasonably well )
* Experience Details ( Where worked / for how long )
. Retired / Worldly Wise , Listeners get ranked higher !
* Availability Details ( Available from - to / GMT-
Local time )
Based on the completeness of the Registration Form Details , a
software will rate and rank the Listeners , which will
be visible to the Talkers
There will be facility to update / edit the data submitted
Upon registration , users will be assigned USER ID and PASSWORD
In addition , Listener will be
assigned a unique COUCH / INTERVIEW-CABIN number
# SEARCHING DATABASE
OF LISTENERS
Talkers will be able to search the database
of the registered Listeners , except for their " Contact Details "
Talkers can , then select / shortlist ,
a few listeners of their preference
# SERVICE CHARGE
Talkers will pay $ 2 per hour to the portal ,
which will credit this amount to the Bank Account of the concerned
Listener , after
deducting 10 % as its own commission
# PAYMENT MECHANISM
Using online payment gateway , Talkers will deposit
a minimum of $ 20 , on the portal as PRE-PAID amount
As Talker continues using the service ,
credit balance will get displayed ( in $ and in " Hours "
terms )
There will be facility for online ( or
through Mobile ) re-charging of the account
# PROCESS
A Listener can login
anytime and occupy his own virtual COUCH / CABIN ( " I am now available
for listening " )
As soon as he does , a GREEN light will
shine on the CABIN , showing the online availability of the concerned
Listener .
This green light will tell the Talkers : " Welcome ! I am
ready to listen "
The light will turn RED , as soon as
a Talker walks into Listener's CABIN ( " I am engaged right
now " )
Any time a Talker logs in , he
will find if any Listeners ( that he had previously shortlisted ) are available
online
If he finds one , he simply CLICKS on the
CABIN icon and enters that VIRTUAL cabin !
Simultaneously , both the Talker and the Listener , turn on
their Skype ( on Mobile or Tablet ) to start the talk
Remember
, Skype ID of neither the Talker , nor the Listener , is ever visible to each
other !
All conversation / transaction , can ONLY
take place through www...COUCH...com ( no
bypassing ! )
The entire conversation will get recorded (
Video + Audio ) and can be downloaded by the Talker ( but not by
the Listener ) , if he so
desires
Portal will be obliged to make this recording
available to a Court of Law , in case of any litigation
Portal will carry a WARNING that it reserves the
right to remove any Talker or a Listener , if it finds that its
service is being misused / abused ( will need defining ,
in detail )
# REPUTATION SYSTEM
At the end of each " talk / conversation
" , Talker will be obliged to " Rate " the concerned Listener
on a 5 point scale ( Excellent > Horrible
) .
Cumulative / Average " Rating " will be prominently
displayed for guidance of all Talkers .
Of course , a Listener can see his own rating as soon as he logs in
At some future date , it should be possible (
through appropriate software ) , to introduce following variations in
pricing of the service ( ie ; Hourly Rates ) :
* Surge Pricing ( depending
upon the DEMAND of any given Listener ) ie: No of Talkers waiting for a
given
Listener at a given point
of time
* Reputation Pricing , based on
points accumulated by a given Listener from all past
ratings
# USAGE HISTORY
For each user ( Listener or Talker ) , there
will be a Usage History page of all the past transactions / talks ; as
also Credit Balance ( for the Talker ) and the
Earnings ( for the Listener )
# PRIVACY
The portal will NOT reveal any
info / data ( including Audio-Video recording ) of any user to anyone else.
However , portal will reserve the rights to
subject those Audio recordings ( but not Video recordings ) to
an Artificial
Intelligence ( AI ) software , which can , over a course of time ,
come up with a SOFTWARE ROBOT
that can take over the role of the HUMAN listeners !
If you have any doubts , ask Ray Kurzweil !
When that happens , this portal may morph
into a PPO ( Psychology Process Outsourcing ) !
The portal will also reserve the rights to
use the Audio recordings for offering Voice-to-Voice language
translation mobile app for the benefit
of world-travelers
# PROMOTING
THE SERVICE
To an extent , the portal may affect
the jobs of local Psychologists / Psycho-Analysts who offer low level
consulting in any country. They will be
in danger of being " Bangalored " ! So , it is bound to face
resistance
from those vested / threatened
interests !
But foreign Hospitals / Educational
Institutions / NGOs / Medical Colleges , etc could be targeted for promoting
# BUSINESS
MODEL
Business Model will be in the nature of
" Sharing Economy " , where those owning / possessing " Idle
/ Spare /
Under-utilized " assets / resources ,
will offer the same to those in need / when in need , for a price
Eg:
Millions of private car-owners use their cars
for ( may be ) two hours per day . Uber aggregates this spare
capacity and makes it available to travelers
who do not own ( or wish to own ) their own cars
Both parties benefit . Economy also benefits
by fuller utilization of the spare/surplus capacities of millions of
assets
All in all , I think this is a great opportunity for some Indian Start Up to seize
For an depth idea ( Page Write-ups for web site / User
Interfaces ) , look up :
( http://hcpreports.blogspot.com/2016/02/online-jobs-fair.html )
Carpe Diem !
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10 Oct
2016
www.hemenparekh.in
/ blogs
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Added on 02 June 2022 :
[ Yahoo News - 31 May 2022 ]
Extract :
Officials in the US state of New York are offering robot companions to more than 800 senior citizens in a bid to combat social isolation.
The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) will work with local partners to identify older adults who would most benefit from the technology - a voice-operated smart device known as ElliQ.
The device, which consists of an interactive robot paired with a tablet, will help "foster independence and provide support for older adults," NYSOFA said.
For example, it can carry out daily check-ins, suggest health and wellness tasks such as sleep relaxation and physical exercises, remind users to take their medication, and help them stay in touch with family and friends.
It also "proactively suggests" activities and initiates conversations, using artificial intelligence (AI) to foster a sense of relationship, NYSOFA added.
"Despite misconceptions and generalisations, older adults embrace new technology, especially when they see it is designed by older adults to meet their needs," NYSOFA Director Greg Olsen said in a statement.
"For those who experience some form of isolation and wish to age in place, ElliQ is a powerful complement to traditional forms of social interaction and support from professional or family caregivers".
Robot as a 'sidekick for happier ageing'
Produced by Israel-based start-up Intuition Robotics, the ElliQ device is marketed by the company as a "sidekick for healthier, happier ageing". It was launched for commercial sale in March this year.
Researchers are increasingly turning to robots for solutions as cases of social isolation and loneliness rise among older populations.
Such feelings are widespread, with some countries reporting that up to one in three older people feel lonely, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.
A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.
The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans.
“It's entertaining. You can actually talk to her,” said Loaiza, 81, whose ElliQ in suburban Fort Lauderdale nicknamed her “Jellybean” for no particular reason. “She'll make comments like, ‘I would go outside if I had hands, but I can’t hold an umbrella.'”
The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers each user's interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats, which can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as the horoscope.
ElliQ tells jokes, plays music and provides inspirational quotes. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner's health and gives reminders to take medications and drink water. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency.
Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner's device.
Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago. His widowed grandfather needed an aide, but the first didn’t work out. The replacement, though, understood his grandfather’s love of classical music and his “quirky sense of humour”.
Skuler realized a robot could fill that companionship gap by adapting to each senior’s personality and interests.
“It’s not just about (ElliQ's) utility. It’s about friendship, companionship and empathy,” Skuler said. “That just did not exist anywhere.”
The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times daily, even six months after receiving it, and more than 90 per cent report lower levels of loneliness, he said.
The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for US$600 a year and a US$250 installation fee. Skuler wouldn’t say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.
