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Robots to help the elderly or dependent in their daily lives. Science fiction? Not at all. Because these applications are the subject of a vast research program conducted in Brest for years by a team led by André Thépaut, director of studies at IMT Atlantique (*), formerly Télécom Bretagne.
Pepper is a beautiful humanoid robot of 1.20 m. He stands quietly in a corner. Only his hands come into action. He bends and unfolds his fingers as a human can do to relax. A human-sized felt silhouette is placed on the ground. Pepper then goes into action. He quickly identifies what he believes to be a human body. And inspect the silhouette. "If it had been a human body, Pepper would have asked questions about whether the person was conscious or not, if she needed help," says André Thépaut, who works on this program of badistance. in robotics for years. From this first observation, the robot could have acted more. Because his eyes are cameras. In case of a confirmed distress situation, Pepper sends mails to the relatives of the person who has fallen. They allow the recipients to come in sonic and visual contact, through him, with the person who is on the ground, and to get a clear idea of the situation.
Pepper's job does not stop there. If he considers that the rescue must intervene, he ensures that the doors of access to the home are opened. "Our robot, which can become a real companion of life, manages all the home automation of the house. He can intervene on many other things. In the evening, for example, it is he who will turn off the lights and close the electric shutters.
Sensors everywhere
By pushing Labsticc lab door of Technopole Brest Iroise, it feels like a big good in the future. Here everything is interconnected thanks to multiple sensors. This is to facilitate the daily life of dependent seniors. "This show apartment allows us to implement the results of our research, says André Thépaut. The floor, for example, reacts like the screen of a touch pad. When someone falls, it is the surface covered, not the weight on the ground, which gives the alert and geolocates the body. A much more reliable system than emergency call bracelets that do not detect the fall if it is not done abruptly. That's not all: if a water tap remains open or if the fridge is not properly closed, a pop-up message appears on the interactive television made available to the occupants.
The numerous sensors also make it possible to better know the habits of the residents. "Things we do every day to the minute," continues André Thépaut. Like using his bathroom, his toilet, his kitchen. Depending on these routines, we can optimize the consumption of electricity. Why heat a living room in the morning when we only enjoy it in the afternoon? ".
Difficult to move to the industrial phase
As we can see, the fields of application of robotics and home automation are immense. Still, they can be very intrusive for the person who benefits. "We are aware of this and we ensure respect for the physical and moral integrity of the person. One example, the visual representations of the people who participate in our experiments are silhouettes. Impossible to know if the person is naked or dressed.
The works of André Thépaut and his team have a bright future ahead of them. "We live longer and longer but not healthy," says the doctor in computer science. The number of dependent people will increase considerably in the years to come. " We must invent the home support tomorrow.
Research is progressing, we see it. But not the industrial and commercial monitoring of these programs. "In France, banks and investors are very cautious. There are few bridges to create start-ups, "concludes André Thépaut, who is constantly looking for sponsors for his projects.
* www.imtatlantique.fr
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