A team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed MyBom, the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based dementia care robot. Researchers have also set up a startup to commercialize their latest product.

KIST's AI-based dementia care robot MyBom

The KIST team applied the technology, named artificial robot brain intelligence (ARBI), in developing MyBom.

ARBI includes artificial brain elements of a robot capable of planning, situation inference and knowledge reasoning on the ontology-based knowledge system, which is the core technology of artificial intelligence. Various intelligent behaviors of the robot include deep neural network (DNN), algorithmic method, and robot service knowledge.

The development of robotic care service for patients with mild dementia using robot AI technology can be a tremendous social and emotional aid for not only dementia patients but also to their caregivers.

However, such robots that help out daily lives of dementia patients are not readily available as it is challenging to implement the technology fundamentally. Even the DDN technology, which has shown significant achievement in AI recently, has limits in the dementia care field. Although DNN technology is a useful tool in the field of AI recognition and data classification, there are many other AI technologies such as knowledge representation, planning, that researchers need to solve to implement the technology entirely.

Besides, as various services that the robot should perform in fundamentally uncertainties and variable situations, the robots have to adapt and secure an ability to learn the experience by itself.

To solve such problems, KIST has been developing a knowledge-based robotic intelligence technology for the past 20 years, leading to the birth of MyBom.

MyBom1 will provide alarms for an unauthorized outing for mild dementia patients, who account for 60 percent of total dementia patients, reminders to take medication and meals, and an adaptive service that reflects patient characteristics.

In the early stage of commercialization, KIST expects the robot will be able to care for dementia patients at home for at least two hours, it said.

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