Romeo (left), Pepper (centre) and Nao (right) assistant robots with human companion Rodolphe Gelin, research director at French company SoftBank Robotics. Nao is an autonomous, programmable humanoid robot whose development began in 2004. Nao robots have been used for research and education purposes. The Pepper robot was designed with the ability to read emotions and interact with people via its touch screen, and was introduced in 2014. Romeo is capable of recognising faces, walking, climbing stairs and grasping objects, and its primary role will be to help with everyday tasks. The aim of the Romeo robot project, launched in 2009, is to research the potential of robot companions specialised in supporting the elderly or people with disabilities. |