A few months ago we talked about a hotel in Japan that uses robots as employees. The idea of installing robotic staff for basic administrative tasks is not new, but in all cases it is necessary to improve the "human aspect", otherwise the results can be counterproductive. With that in mind, "Nadine" is a development from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and it has the ability to shake hands, recognize people, or start a new conversation based on previous talks.
Automation and the Human Factor
It is very likely that in the future, some robotic and/or artificial intelligence platform will replace us in our jobs. Self-driving cars, bots writing articles, fast-food establishments controlled by robots, entire assembly plants, and a long etcetera. The key word is "automation", something that we can understand in environments like mass production lines and precision electronics. However, the trend also reaches other positions, where the so-called "human factor" has another role. Doctors, nurses, security personnel, janitors and receptionists: the world of robotics believes it can match humans in those fields, and why not, surpass them. The road is extremely long, but they have been moving for many years.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/cvbJGZf-raYNadine: More Than a Machine
The latest news takes us to Singapore, more precisely to the Nanyang Technological University, where Professor Nadia Thalmann presented Nadine, a new "robotic receptionist". Nadine has her own personality, mood, and even emotions (or at least, approximate simulations). Depending on the topic of conversation, Nadine can be "happy" or "sad", but that's not all. She also has the ability to shake hands as a welcome, recognize people who have visited her before, and even "chat" based on a previous exchange. Nadine was not the only robot that the university presented. Her colleague is called EDGAR, whose main objective is to be a telepresence avatar. Unlike Nadine, he has neither skin nor hair, and his "half body" is installed on a platform.
Logically, Nadine has a huge amount of work ahead. Her movements are limited no matter how you look at it, and the same can be said about her voice. In other words, it may be necessary to consider Nadine as a proof of concept, although the university anticipates that this technology could provide specific benefits, such as care for children and the elderly. The point is that Nadine is not the first of her kind, and definitely will not be the last.
