CMU Portugal ERI AHA Takes Robot Vizzy for Tests with Senior Citizens

CMU Portugal ERI AHA Takes Robot Vizzy for Tests with Senior Citizens

The senior residents of the Nossa Senhora dos Milagres Community Center, social equipment of Cáritas in Coimbra, had a “different kind of day” with the visit of a robot that “made” them push back on their sedentary lifestyle, by assigning exercises that tested mobility and agility.

Vizzy is an assistant robot that is being developed as part of the “AHA: Augmented Human Assistance” project, which is led in Portugal by researcher Alexandre Bernardino of Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). In the USA, by Daniel P. Siewiorek and Asim Smailagic.

Vizzy is an assistant robot being developed under the scope of the Augmented Human Assistance (AHA) project, an Entrepreneurial Research Initiative of the CMU Portugal Program, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology. This project is led in Portugal by researcher Alexandre Bernardino of Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and in the USA, by Daniel P. Siewiorek and Asim Smailagic of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

The initiative plans to develop and deploy a novel Robotic Assistance Platform designed to support healthy lifestyle, sustain active aging, and support those with motor deficits. It involves research teams from Carnegie Mellon University, Instituto Superior Técnico, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana of University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT NOVA) of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute (M-ITI) and the companies Plux – Biosensors Engineering and YDreams Robotics.

Read the Portuguese article at Diário As Beiras, Diário de Notícias Online, Sábado Online, Correio da Manhã Online, SIC Notícias Online, O Jogo Online, Impala Online, Diário de Notícias da Madeira Online, Açoriano Oriental Online, Notícias de Coimbra Online (August 22, 2017) Jornal de Notícias, Diário de Coimbra, Público Online, Notícias ao Minuto Online, Sapo Online, Saúde Online (August 23, 2017) Correio da Manhã, ALERTA Online, Diário de Leiria (August 24, 2017) Jornal Médico.pt Online (August 25, 2017) Vital Health Online (August 29, 2017) Mundo Português (September 1, 2017)