Tokyo:Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. has unveiled a prototype of a dog-shaped social robot designed to assist elderly individuals in their daily lives at home.
According to Thai News Agency, the robot, named Home Leo, leverages physical artificial intelligence to communicate, recognize its surroundings, make decisions, and act autonomously. It was showcased at a business briefing in Tokyo.
Home Leo is intended to remain close to the elderly, providing companionship through conversation and assistance with daily activities. It collects data on users' preferences and daily routines, including food, clothing, and housing, to tailor its interactions to individual users.
The company plans to launch Home Leo in fiscal 2028 and will continue to enhance the robot's capabilities in collaboration with health and industry ministries, local governments, medical and nursing care facilities, and AI technology companies. Home Leo is expected to alert family members or care professionals if it detects unusual events like falls or health changes.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries aims to help elderly people live safely and securely in familiar surroundings by coordinating with medical institutions and other relevant organizations through Home Leo. During the business briefing, the robot demonstrated its functionality by retrieving a smartphone at the request of Kawasaki Heavy President Yasuhiko Hashimoto.