{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Robot companions for kids and the elderly' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54d260d8eafeecae1e1159' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54d260d8eafeecae1e1159' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nRobot companions for kids and the elderly\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eLEAD IN:Could robots take over entertaining children and looking after the elderly? Some of the technology on display at the World Robot Conference in Beijing has given a glimpse into the future of a robotic world. STORY-LINE:A little...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eLEAD IN:Could robots take over entertaining children and looking after the elderly? Some of the technology on display at the World Robot Conference in Beijing has given a glimpse into the future of a robotic world. STORY-LINE:A little girl plays with her newest pal - the iPal robot. The companion robot is on show at the World Robots Conference in Beijing. It's made by Avatarmind, based in South China's Nanjing and Silicon Valley. The company designed the 3.5-feet tall iPal robots as a companion for children from three to eight years old when their parents are not around. They can talk, dance, walk, and hold children's hands, just as a babysitter does. Avatarmind CEO John S. Ostrem says the iPal is more than just an entertainment device. \"I think the problem is just the knowledge of what the younger care market needs. I think most people understand, you know, what children like. They think first of entertainment for children. A robot that entertains and they can can play with. They think very often of robots as a toy. And we don't think it's a toy. We think it can entertain a child but it can also provide serious education, security. So I think, the problem is probably most people thought the robot more of a toy, rather than a serious product that can provide therapy, you're an addition to just entertainment,\" he says.Unlike a babysitter, iPal robots are equipped with a tablet on the chest, a camera eye for parents to remotely check children's security, and cloud connectivity.  The robots are capable of updating the answers to deal with questions from the children and providing the latest education programmes.But the iPal doesn't come cheap - it sells for around 10,000 RMB (US$1500).Zhao Xi, who works in real estate, visited the iPal booth with his 3 year-old son. \"iPal was nothing more than a big toy. I don't think the big toy works better that other intelligence toys or companions by parents in the development of children's intelligence and emotions,\" he says. Avatarmind is also planning to launch robots for the elderly as soon as possible because of China's ageing population. Andy Mok, a consultant for technology startups, thinks caring for the elderly is more urgent that the children. \"Urbanisation, kind of atomisation of traditional family, is creating tremendous demand for elder care, children as well. But I think it perhaps less so, because parents tend to be focused, especially in China, a willingness to devote both time and money for their kids. So I think the elderly caring market is a bit more promising.\"Other tech makers are already looking to provide services for the elderly. Meridian Network Corporation started as a medical company and first self-designed robot \"Little Angel\" is still in the testing phase and has not been launched in the market.Little Angel can use data to design a personal health plan and also help the elderly with a limited range of medical tests and contacting doctors online. The product market director, Brain Zhai says voice integration is a problem they're still dealing with. \"Actually it's common issue in the robots industry. That is the problem of voice recognition. Because it is under noise disturbance. It's a technical problem. We don't need to worry about technical problem. Because with the development of technology, it will finally overcome the bottleneck. Our imagination of service robots will finally come true,\" he says. Industrial robots and domestic robots have equal shares on the exhibition. Though China's demand for industrial robots keeps growing, domestic robots are slowly expanding market share from 25% in 2013 to 31% in 2015An increasing need for help in the home has already begun for people like Ma Jingrui, a 28-year-old biotechnologist, who bought a second sweeping robot for her parents. \"Robots need to improve in terms of satisfying people's demand. They are improving though,\" says Miss Ma, \"We had a sweeping machine in my home before, it reduced the burdens of my parents.\"Andy Mok says people in China actually have higher expectations for robots than just as a work-saving tool. He says many people in the future could use them more as companions.  \"You know there are many lonely people in China as we see a lot of live streaming. That is 'Wanghong', internet celebrities, showing there is a large demand for companionship. When there are more robots look and act more like more human in an emotional way, there is an enormous enormous market,\" he says. The World Robot Conference 2016 is open to public from 20 to 25th of October in Beijing.Beijing - 19 October 20161. Various of girl leading iPal robot to her directionUPSOUND (Mandarin) \"iPal, come here.\"2. Close of iPal robot's head3. Wide of girl waving hands with iPal robot4. Various of girl dancing with iPal robot5. Close of tablet on robot's chest6. Girl touching iPal robot's headUPSOUND (Mandarin) Girl \"You are great!\" iPal \"Why are you touching my head?\"Beijing - 21 October, 20167. Various of Avartarmind exhibition booth at World Robot Conference 8. Wide of child touching iPal robot's eye9. Various of Avartarmind CEO John S. Ostrem talking with visitors and looking at iPal robots10. Tilt up of iPal robot11. Mid of iPal robot dancing12. SOUNDBITE (English) John S. Ostrem, Avartarmind CEO:\"I think the problem is just the knowledge of what the younger care market needs. I think most people understand, you know, what children like. They think first of entertainment for children. A robot that entertains and they can can play with. They think very often of robots as a toy. And we don't think it's a toy. We think it can entertain a child but it can also provide serious education, security. So I think, the problem is probably most people thought the robot more of a toy, rather than a serious product that can provide therapy, you're an addition to just entertainment.\"13. Various of father and son looking at iPal robot14. Mid of boy looking at iPal robot15. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhao Xi, Robot conference visitor:\"(The iPal robots) It's nothing more that a big toy displayed at home. To be honest, I don't think the big toy works better that other intelligence toys or companions by parents in the development of children's intelligence and emotions.\"Beijing - 20 October, 201616. Various of Andy Mok working on computer17. SOUNDBITE (English) Andy Mok, Technology analyst:\"Aging population, the legacy of the one child policy. So four grandparents, there won't be enough people to take care of them. But again, urbanisation, the atomisation of the traditional family is creating tremendous demand for elder care, children as well.. but I think perhaps a little bit less so. Parents tend to be very focussed, especially in China, are willing to devote both time and money for their kids. So I think the elder care market is a bit more promising.\"Beijing - 21 October, 201618. Various of exhibition booth for Canbot by Meridian Network CorpBeijing - 20 October, 201619. Wide of robot walking20. Mid of robot walking21. Close of tablet22. Mid of man taking blood pressure23. Close of cuff of sphygmomanometer24. Close of man giving order to robotUPSOUND (Mandarin) \"Please measure blood pressure.\"25. Blood pressure reading synchronising on sphygmomanometer and robot's tablet26. Close of blood pressure reading on robot's tablet27. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Brain Zhai, product market director of Meridian Network Corp:\"Actually it's common issue in the robots industry. That is the problem of voice recognition. Because it is under noise disturbance. It's a technical problem. We don't need to worry about technical problem. Because with the development of technology, it will finally overcome the bottleneck. Our imagination of service robots will finally come true.\" Beijing - 21 October, 201628. Various of booth of Ecovacs Robotics. Co., Ltd.29. Pull focus from mobile phone giving order to sweeping robot30. Low angle of sweeping robot moving31. Various of women looking at sweeping robot32. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Ma Jingrui, biotechnologist:\"I think there are space to improve in terms of satisfying our demands. They are fine at the moment. We had a sweeping robot in our home. It reduced a lot of work from my parents.\"33. Wide of sweeping robot on floor34. Close of camera on sweeping robot 35. Close of interior of sweeping robotBeijing - 20 October, 201636. SOUNDBITE (English) Andy Mok, Technology analyst:\"Broadly speaking as we get more emotionally intelligent robots as well, there are very many lonely people in China as we see with a lot of the live streaming and these internet celebrities showing that there is an enormous market for companionship. And when there are robots that look and act more human in an emotional way, that is another enormous, enormous market.\" Beijing - 21 October, 201637. Various of robots dancing38. Close of mobile phone recording robots dancing39. Wide of visitors watching robots dancing40. Wide of girl dancing with robots41. 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