Intelligent elderly companion

• Main Author: Wang, Rong
• Other Authors: Ma Maode
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61866
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the fast growing aging population, elderly care is becoming significant. Loneliness is a typical problem that leads to a series of mental diseases. The main objective of the project is to design and construct a robot to company the elderly, to interact and to assist them in daily life. The purpose of this project is to promote an active living for elderly through technologies. In order to achieve this objective, the following components are selected. A portable PC and USB converter are used to control the robot companion as brain. Kinect functions as eyes and ears to collect image and audio source. Two motor drivers and three motors are like limbs to manipulate tasks. Lastly, encoder performs like nerve system to feedback information to brain to process further. After constructing this system, a various functions are developed. Firstly, it is able to intelligently detect correct user and to follow robustly. No matter elderly is walking slowly, turning or even running, the robot car is capable to follow automatically. Secondly, it is designed to carry heavy and miscellaneous belongings for elderly. Thirdly, the robot car is able to understand elderly’s commands. The elderly can use voice to control and command the robot companion. Lastly, the robot car is able to talk and interact with elderly. This makes it more entertaining.