<p id="isPasted">Although robots cannot replace human caregivers, they can provide support so that caregivers have more time to provide the personal, human touch. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum f&uuml;r Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is testing various robotic care assistants in a series of projects. Although these robots were developed for spaceflight, they can also help with essential tasks on Earth.</p><p>What activities will robots be allowed to take on in care in the future? How will it be ensured that people and their needs are always at the heart of technological advances? How can robotic assistance systems be used in retirement homes, private households and hospitals? Researchers from the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/institutes/institute-of-robotics-and-mechatronics.html" target="_blank" title="Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics">DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics</a> in <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/sites/oberpfaffenhofen.html" target="_blank" title="Oberpfaffenhofen">Oberpfaffenhofen</a> are investigating these questions in the SMiLE (Service Robotics for People in Living Situations with Limitations; Servicerobotik f&uuml;r Menschen in Lebenssituationen mit Einschr&auml;nkungen) Project. &quot;Robotic care assistants are intended, on the one hand, to relieve the burden on care staff and, on the other, to provide those affected with a greater degree of independence in their everyday lives. In this way, the robots can make a decisive contribution to improving the quality of life and communication with relatives and caregivers,&quot; explains project manager J&ouml;rn Vogel.</p><h2>Three assistance systems: Rollin&#39; Justin, EDAN and HUG</h2><p>A humanoid service robot can serve as a helping hand for an elderly person. A person with severe mobility impairments is more likely to use a robotic chair. There is also an interface between the systems. Several systems are being prepared for optimal human assistance.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.dlr.de/rm/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-11427/#gallery/35411" target="_blank" title="External link Robot Rollin Justin">Rollin&lsquo; Justin</a> is a humanoid, two-armed, mobile home assistance robot. It monitors its environment via sensors and cameras and evaluates this information. Its lightweight arms enable sensitive interaction with the environment. Rollin&#39; Justin uses artificial intelligence (AI) to plan its workflows autonomously.</li><li><a href="http://www.dlr.de/rm/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-11670/#gallery/28208" target="_blank" title="External link EDAN">EDAN</a> is a wheelchair with a lightweight robotic arm and hand. It is moved with a joystick or via muscle signals measured directly on the surface of the person&#39;s skin. EDAN and Rollin&#39; Justin can also be moved by relatives via smartphones or tablets. Remote control from a care control centre is possible.</li><li><a href="https://www.dlr.de/rm/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-11704/#gallery/34276" target="_blank" title="External link Roboter HUG">HUG</a> is a haptic input station with two lightweight arms for remote robot control. HUG measures human movements, uses them as signals, and relays them in this way. At the same time, the user feels the exact forces that the robot senses. In this way, EDAN and Rollin&#39; Justin can also be controlled easily and intuitively.</li></ul><p>In everyday life, for example, EDAN with its robotic arm could help to significantly increase the independence of people with severe motor impairments. Rollin&#39; Justin could perform pick-up and drop-off services in a care facility. For unusual or difficult tasks, trained caregivers from a control centre would be able to quickly assist those in need of care via HUG.</p><hr><h3 id="isPasted"><strong>Focus on safe human-robot interaction<br></strong></h3><p>Robotic technologies have long been part of our everyday lives. Simple systems include vacuum cleaner robots or autonomous lawn mowing robots. The use of mobile service robots represents a next step. Equipped with arms and hands, these robots can react to their environment. These developments are possible because modern lightweight robot technology offers safe human-robot interaction. Classic industrial robot arms, such as those used in the automotive industry, must always be operated behind barriers for safety reasons. Modern lightweight robots, on the other hand, are sensitive to physical contact with humans or the environment.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.dlr.de/rm/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-12464/21732_read-44586/" target="_blank" title="External link Story of the Lightweight Robot LBR">LBR Light-weight Robot</a> developed at DLR almost 20 years ago represented an important milestone in this field. It can sense and control its interaction with the environment through joint torque sensors. This additional information makes it possible for the robot to behave in an actively compliant and thus safe manner, similar to a human arm &ndash; an essential requirement for use in the direct environment of humans.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1661775337601-success-story-lightweight-robot-lbr.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">The first prototype (left) of the LBR was developed in the mid-1990s. The technology of the third generation from 2003 (right) was licensed to the company KUKA. Originally intended as a lightweight robotic arm for space applications, DLR robotics technology forms the basis for many other robotic systems and also serves as a pioneer for safe human-robot interaction. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)</span></span></span></p>

Although robots cannot replace human caregivers, they can provide support so that caregivers have more time to provide the personal, human touch.

Robots for people in need of care

<p id="isPasted">The retail world is changing. In today&rsquo;s highly competitive environment, retailers are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to boost efficiency and run their businesses more effectively.</p><p>The emergence of artificial intelligence (<a href="https://venturebeat.com/2022/06/15/what-is-artificial-intelligence/" target="_blank">AI</a>) in the retail industry has <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/08/21/seven-ways-artificial-intelligence-is-disrupting-the-retail-industry/" target="_blank">transformed&nbsp;</a>how businesses engage customers, tailor marketing campaigns, and manage their inventory. This approach also helps reduce waste and operational inefficiencies.&nbsp;</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/retail-automation-market-2022-increase-in-demand-expected-in-forecasted-year-to-2031-product-specification-consumption-status-industry-share-top-manufacture-with-types-and-applications-2022-06-08?mod=search_headline" target="_blank">MarketWatch</a>, the global retail automation market was valued at $8.96 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to be worth as much as $23.1 billion by the end of 2024. Furthermore, the <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artificial-intelligence-ai-robot-market-is-predicted-to-rise-at-a-cagr-of-20-5-during-the-forecast-period-observes-tmr-study-301574923.html" target="_blank">AI robot market</a> is expected to be worth $ 52.63 billion by 2031.</p><p>As such, AI-powered automation and robotics are a business imperative for retailers who want to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU5OTgxNjIyNzcxLTE2NTk5ODE2MjI3NzEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><h2 id="isPasted">What problems does an AI robot solve in the retail sector?</h2><p>Retail automation has the potential to optimize customer experiences and drive revenue. However, this doesn&rsquo;t mean that <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/11/automation-doesnt-just-create-or-destroy-jobs-it-transforms-them" target="_blank">robots will replace humans</a>. Instead, they will work together to maximum effect.&nbsp;</p><p>Humans and retail robots together solve four key issues in the retail industry:</p><h3>1. Data analytics challenges</h3><p>Smart algorithms are much better at collecting, processing, and analyzing vast amounts of data from disparate sources in real-time (a feat forever unmatched by human counterparts). It&rsquo;s also the only way to collect and process data in real-time for analytics. As human and machine collaboration becomes the norm, people that work together with robots will earn more (than those who don&rsquo;t). Similarly, businesses that leverage this approach will receive a maximum return on investment.</p><h3>2. Pricing (human) errors</h3><p>More often than not, digital and physical commerce channels have diverse agendas and follow different methods. While it may seem easier to operate each of them as a separate business unit, this approach often creates more complexity, including on-shelf pricing errors. Trying to match up the online shopping experience is becoming more challenging for brick-and-mortar retailers. &nbsp;</p><p>Price discrepancies between the online and physical stores often occur because of human error, data entry and update errors, unapplied promotions or discounts, and various variables specific to the business, location, and so on. Even if online retail grows exponentially, brick-and-mortar retailers are here to stay. However, to remain competitive, they must strive to eliminate potential mistakes caused by human error, considering that as many as 73% of customers stated that <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-customer-experience.html" target="_blank">customer experiences drive purchasing behavior</a>.</p><p>Retail automation can help quickly resolve this issue by alerting staff about price discrepancies. This approach ensures that offline customers have smooth and enhanced shopping experiences. By scanning shelves in real-time, AI-powered robots quickly alert staff to misplaced items and products missing price tags.&nbsp;</p><h3>3. Inventory management and supply chain challenges&nbsp;</h3><p>Retail automation keeps pricing up to date and helps avert potential <a href="https://www.magestore.com/stockout-in-retail-stores/" target="_blank">stockout</a> situations. Stockout situations lead to lower customer loyalty, higher operational costs, and higher labor costs (as more staff spend time on inventory activities).</p><p>Retail automation guarantees that shelves are always stocked, and customers aren&#39;t left disappointed. By analyzing in-store data in real-time while considering external factors and past purchasing patterns, retailers can rethink their old supply chains and quickly adjust their stocks to meet consumer demand. &nbsp;</p><h3>4. Brand compliance</h3><p>Some retailer-vendor agreements come with special requests, especially when it comes to where certain products are displayed within a store. In this scenario, retail automation can help quickly detect inconsistencies in product placement to ensure brand compliance.</p><div id="_com_1" language="JavaScript"><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 612px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU5OTg0NzgzMjgzLURTQ18wNTU2LmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 610px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">ERIS quickly alerts staff to misplaced items &amp; price tag errors.</span></span></span></p></div><h2 id="isPasted">Why is there a need for an AI-powered robot?</h2><p>Robots like the Effective Retail Intelligent Scanner or <a href="https://www.adaptarobotics.com/robots/eris/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ERIS</a> are necessary to scan all the products within stores and warehouses quickly and accurately. Physically attempting to take stock, check price tags for errors, and look for misplaced items, it could take days or even weeks to complete the task.</p><p>In contrast, ERIS with human operators can effectively scan the whole premises to detect errors and anomalies within minutes (depending on the size of the establishment and the number of products available on-premises).</p><p>This approach helps optimize employee efficiency and enables data-driven decisions by collecting accurate pricing and inventory data that marketing and supply chain management teams can use.&nbsp;</p><p>With solutions like ERIS<a href="#_msocom_3" id="_anchor_3" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_3" target="_blank"></a>, potential sales aren&#39;t lost to pricing errors or stockouts. Return on investment will also be complemented by customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and much more. As a human operator is always present, they can solve potential errors on the spot. This approach helps mitigate the risk of miscommunications and provides opportunities to prioritize and escalate issues as needed. &nbsp;</p><p>ERIS can also help improve staff morale by taking over the tedious and time-intensive task of detecting pricing errors and managing stock effectively. Although a human staff member will work in collaboration with the smart robot, ERIS is doing most of the heavy lifting.</p><p>However, preconceived notions about AI replacing humans continue to derail the adoption of retail automation technologies. But, just like chatbots help customer service representatives by quickly processing simple queries, ERIS makes life a little easier for human colleagues.&nbsp;</p><p>Retail automation is the new frontier. It will help businesses better engage their customers, optimize inventory, avoid pricing errors, and maintain business relevance.</p><p>Adapta Robotics developed ERIS to solve an age-old retail problem concerning human error and inventory management. ERIS is an innovative and powerful machine, a fast shelf auditing solution that smooths out the transition towards retail automation.</p><div id="_com_4" language="JavaScript"><br></div>

Human & retail robots together solving key issues in the retail industry

In a highly competitive environment, retailers are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to boost efficiency and run their businesses more effectively. AI-powered robots are transforming the retail sector by optimizing pricing strategies, inventory management, and more.

How AI-powered robots are transforming the retail industry

<p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Virtual human experience has been on the rise to train real-human interpersonal scenarios for doctor-patient interactions. Visual feedback on involuntary pain facial expressions in response to physical inputs is an essential source of information for skilled physicians and medical students. Standardized patients have the highest level of fidelity for simulating patient behavior to enable self-learning and improve training efficiency. But this methodology is time-consuming and requires diverse patient identities in terms of ethnicity and gender to achieve cultural competence. Even though robotic simulators offer lower fidelity than standardized patients, they can simulate a greater variety of medical conditions and respond to several physical stimuli such as movement, haptic, visual, and auditory feedback.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Some commercially available medical robotic simulators, such as Pediatric HAL, are currently the most advanced pediatric patient simulators capable of simulating emotions through dynamic facial expression, movement, and speech. They offer gender and skin color variations, but the options are limited and cannot be easily changed in the training session. Other virtual simulations, such as Virtual Patients, offer different demographics and medical history with clinical scenarios but are often only verbal or dialogue-based. Combining these features with virtual and physical robotic simulators will enhance the training experience for clinicians.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">A team of researchers affiliated with Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, and the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, have collaborated to model dynamic pain facial expressions using a data-driven perception-based psychophysical method combined with visual-haptic inputs [1].&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Robotic system for simulating dynamic facial expressions</h2><p dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1651253396196-Schematics+of+the+Robotic+Simulator.png" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Schematics of the Robotic Simulator"><span class="fr-inner" sapling-id="a8a476fa-a586-4cc8-bbd4-df136530109b" sapling-input-id="cb23f8f3-aaf6-4e24-8443-1d46e9e114c9" spellcheck="false">Schematics of the Robotic Simulator [Image Credit: Research Paper]</span></span></span></p><div is-sapling-overlay="true" style='pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; z-index: auto; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 383px; height: 39px; width: 766px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: 100%; font-size: 14px; font-family: "PT Serif", serif; text-align: center; text-transform: none; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; tab-size: 8;'><br></div><p></p><p dir="ltr">In 2021, the team developed a robotic face MorphFace [2], a 3D physical-virtual hybrid face to represent the pain expressions of patients, based on the MakeHuman and FACSHuman systems that can simulate six human avatars. The system can be integrated with capturing devices such as force sensors for real-time facial expressions. The modifications to the existing system to address the limitation of pain facial expressions from the various demographic backgrounds are presented in the paper titled &ldquo;Simulating dynamic facial expressions of pain from visuo‑haptic interactions with a robotic patient.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">&ldquo;We refine the paradigm by asking participants to perform actions (abdominal palpation) that would directly affect the exhibition of such facial expressions, thus enabling the modeling of facial expressions of pain exhibited within a given medical context and specific user interactions: pain received by the patient and subsequently the facial expressions of pain arise from palpation of the abdomen performed by the participant,&rdquo; the team explains. &ldquo;Thus, we anticipate that our system and procedure can be used to create dynamic pain facial expression simulation models of interactive physical examination procedures for diverse patient identities, ultimately providing bespoke medical training solutions to reduce erroneous judgments in individual medical students due to perceptual biases.&rdquo;</p><p dir="ltr">The participants performed palpation action on a block of silicon abdomen phantom placed on a load cell. The applied force is then captured by the load cell and sent to Unity3D through an embedded device, Arduino Uno, at a baud rate of 9600. The pain expression generation function is implemented in C# language the describes the relation between palpation force and the action unit (AU) activity intensity. The force triggered a real-time display of six pain expressions on the robotic face, MorphFace, controlled by the rate of change &beta; and activation delay &tau;. Each participant then rated the appropriateness of the facial expression on a 4-point scale from &ldquo;strongly disagree&rdquo; to &ldquo;strongly agree&rdquo; within a time limit of 6.5 seconds.</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 602px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1651253426257-Experimental+Plan+for+a+Robotic+Simulator.png" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Experimental Plan for a Robotic Simulator"><span class="fr-inner" sapling-id="7ddac844-27be-46ae-9759-985b6e2c5873" sapling-input-id="ae543b59-101a-437c-b669-65be8279316f" spellcheck="false">Experimental Plan for the Robotic Simulator [Image Credit: Research Paper]</span></span></span></p><div is-sapling-overlay="true" style='pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; z-index: auto; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 480px; height: 39px; width: 602px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: 100%; font-size: 14px; font-family: "PT Serif", serif; text-align: center; text-transform: none; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; tab-size: 8;'><br></div><p></p><h2 dir="ltr">What do the results have to say?</h2><p dir="ltr">The results showed that all the participants comprised a higher rate of change and shorter delay for upper face AUs than those in the lower face. The results suggest that gender and ethnicity biases affect palpation strategies and the perception of pain-related expressions displayed on MorphFace. &ldquo;We anticipate that our approach will be used to generate physical examination models with diverse patient demographics to provide focused training and address errors,&rdquo; the team concludes.&rdquo; These findings highlight the usefulness of visual-haptic interactions with a robotic patient as a method to quantify differences in behavioral variables relating to a medical examination with diverse participant groups and to assess the efficacy of future bespoke interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of such differences.&rdquo;</p><p dir="ltr">The research paper is published under Scientific Reports in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-08115-1" target="_blank">open-access terms</a>. The datasets for the research paper are published for public viewing in the <a href="https://osf.io/q64x2/?view_only=025d443f148d41778c82761088ac0c1e" target="_blank">OSF repository</a>.</p><h2 dir="ltr">References</h2><p dir="ltr">[1] Tan, Y., R&eacute;rolle, S., Lalitharatne, T.D. et al. Simulating dynamic facial expressions of pain from visuo-haptic interactions with a robotic patient. <em>Sci Rep</em> <strong>12</strong>, 4200 (2022). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08115-1" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08115-1</a>&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">[2] T. D. Lalitharatne et al., &quot;MorphFace: A Hybrid Morphable Face for a Robopatient,&quot; in <em>IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters</em>, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 643-650, April 2021, DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2020.3048670.</p>

Student receives real-time facial expressions from the robotic platform [Left– virtual];  Experiment setup [Right– actual]

Researchers modeled dynamic facial expressions of pain using a data-driven perception-based psychophysical method with visual-haptic interaction of users.


Human-Robot Interaction

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Robots for people in need of care

How AI-powered robots are transforming the retail industry

Robotic simulator for dynamic facial expression of pain in response to palpations

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