The Jet-I-U: A biomimetic assistive robot for the visually impaired and elderly

Abstract

As the world’s population continues to grow in size and in age, it remains vital to develop streamlined and affordable technologies to address the needs of those who require companionship and care. The elderly and visually impaired remain a significant and ever-increasing segment of society, yet due to the cost of at-home health care, many of these individuals are unable to afford full-time caretakers to assist with everyday tasks. Although the luxury of at-home care remains elusive to many due to the associated cost, social robots are an important and meaningful way to overcome this issue. This research explores how combining the principles of biomimicry and social robotics with the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance assistive technology. This paper proposes a novel assistive device called the Jet-I-U, which aims to support visually impaired and elderly individuals with day-to-day tasks. The Jet-I-U mimics the behavioral and physical characteristics of a pet scarlet macaw and provides both information and companionship to this demographic. The device emulates a scarlet macaw’s morphology and movement through laser-cut features and various biomimetic components. The intelligence and behavioral characteristics of the macaw are modeled by the application of IoT Edge platforms, AI, and Machine Learning (ML). By utilizing powerful off-the-shelf microcontrollers like the NVIDIA Jetson Nano and Raspberry Pi, this device is both affordable and practical. Experimental analysis was performed to evaluate Jet-I-U’s performance based on several criteria. The results demonstrated the versatility and applicability of the proposed solution as a companion to the visually impaired and elderly.