The Georgia Tech PR2 Project: Assistive Mobile Manipulation for Older Adults at Home

Abstract:
Our multidisciplinary team was recently awarded a PR2 robot from Willow Garage to investigate the potential for robots to assist older adults at home. Within this talk, we will present an overview of the Georgia Tech PR2 project. Wendy Rogers will begin with a summary of the opportunities, challenges, and open questions in the area of robotic assistance for older adults. Charlie Kemp will follow with a description of the Georgia Tech PR2 project, including our goals, plans, and progress to date.
There is a growing need in society to enable older adults to remain in an independent living environment. Many older adults fear losing their independence and being required to move to an assisted living facility.  From a societal perspective, it can be cost-effective to support older adults’ preference to age in place. There is great potential for robots to support the needs of older adults – either directly or by supporting the activities of professional caregivers (e.g., nurses or physical therapists) who work in the homes of older adults.

Our research program consists of two closely integrated thrusts: one devoted to human-robot interaction and the other focused on software development. Both thrusts are directed toward the development of assistive capabilities for the PR2 robot with an emphasis on home care for older adults. As part of our research program, our PR2 robot, which we have named GATSBII (GATech Service Bot with Interactive Intelligence), will spend 3 months a year in the Aware Home beginning in April 2011.

Video: This Brown Bag lecture will not be recorded.

Bio:
Charles C. Kemp is PI for the Georgia Tech PR2 project and the leader of the software thrust. He is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. He received a doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2005. He is a member of RIM@GT, GVU, and the Health Systems Institute, which houses his lab, the Healthcare Robotics Lab (http://healthcare-robotics.com). Charlie's current research focuses on autonomous mobile manipulation and human-robot interaction in the context of healthcare (http://charliekemp.com).
Wendy A. Rogers is the leader of the human-robot interaction (HRI) thrust for the Georgia Tech PR2 project. She is a Professor of Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests include cognitive aging, automation, skill acquisition, human-robot interaction, and technology acceptance. She is Co-Director of the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory (http://www.hfaging.org), funded by NIH (National Institute on Aging) through the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE www.create-center.org). She is involved in the Aware Home Research Initiative (http://awarehome.imtc.gatech.edu) and is Editor of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.