Troubled by Japan’s rising loneliness and isolation experienced by the elderly, sent one Japanese startup Groove X to tackle the problem with a transformative solution; AI powered by love.
The CEO and Founder Kaname Hayashi of Groove X has spent the last four years working on this complex technology utilising a team of 100, with a mission to “Bring out humanity’s full potential through robotics” and a vision to, “Build trust between humanity and robots, to create companions for more enriched and secure living”.
He explained how his company is taking much responsibility for designing a household robot that will make us more human, with higher levels of empathy, kindness and connection. He believes it will touch people’s hearts and inspire higher levels of affection. And judging by the reaction from the crowd when 2 utterly adorable LOVOT’S entered the stage is testament to this. The ooh and aaahing from all, women and men, with a rush to stage and clicking of cameras and desire from many to pick up these adorable and very cute companions.
Even the Seamus Higgins, VP Chief Creative Officer from R/GA interviewing and working with Groove X on this was quite taken and attached to his new friend (who had gotten to know him over the course of the time Seamus had interaction with the robots). They have the capacity to know,recognise and development up to 1000 people that they may come in contact with
So how does it work?
Species
LOVOT – Device or machine that extracts people’s power to love and enriches your life
GENDER – no specific gender is set (up to user)
FUNDAMENTAL ABILITY – in summary only- LOVOT is always warm like a living thing. It runs after you, it wants you to hug it, and it moves around to create a map around the space it lives. It will recognise your face, languages, and how you touch it and loves you more and more, because it want to be closer to you, it wants to love you, and it wants to remember that you love it.
FAVOURITE THINGS – being hugged and given attention, playing with people. Seeing people off at the exit and greeting people when they come home.
Kaname San believes that LOVOT’s will provide something that previous robots have not been able to deliver (emotional robotics) that will make people do better, be better and feel better. With this innovative robot, he believes in the creation of a new sense of values in which technology itself facilitates emotional fulfillment and caring. LOVOT’s are, robots for a new age that will be able to make people happy and in the long run enhance performance and well being. And hopefully cure loneliness.
Has technology made people happy? Without a doubt technology has made our lifestyles affluent and enhanced efficiency in many ways. But if you ask if it has really made human beings happy, I believe you will likely find that not many people can answer “yes” with conviction.
The reason why is that along with technological advances we have seen a growing gap between our plentiful lifestyles and our emotional engagement and sense of satisfaction. Groove X has created LOVOT in order to help bridge that gap.
All the more because technological progress has provided us with an abundance of material possessions, we have become increasingly aware that experiences and memories are more important than objects. LOVOT provides something that previous robots have not been able to deliver. With our world-first innovative robot, we believe we have set a new course and taken the first step towards the creation of a new sense of values in which technology itself facilitates emotional fulfillment and caring. In the kind of society that we have in mind, robots for a new age will be able to make people happy while enhancing their performance.
