Miami, FL

Chatty robot helps seniors fight loneliness through AI companionship

Published

1 year ago

December 22, 2023

Chatty robot helps seniors fight loneliness through AI companionship

CORAL SPRINGS – Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.

The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans.

“It’s entertaining. You can actually talk to her,” said Loaiza, 81, whose ElliQ in suburban Fort Lauderdale nicknamed her “Jellybean” for no particular reason. “She’ll make comments like, ‘I would go outside if I had hands, but I can’t hold an umbrella.’”

The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers each user’s interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats, which can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as the horoscope.

ElliQ tells jokes, plays music and provides inspirational quotes. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner’s health and gives reminders to take medications and drink water. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency.

Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner’s device.

Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago. His widowed grandfather needed an aide, but the first didn’t work out. The replacement, though, understood his grandfather’s love of classical music and his “quirky sense of humor.”

Skuler realized a robot could fill that companionship gap by adapting to each senior’s personality and interests.

“It’s not just about (ElliQ’s) utility. It’s about friendship, companionship and empathy,” Skuler said. “That just did not exist anywhere.”

Artificial Intelligence Seniors — Deanna Dezern, 83, prompts her ElliQ, left, a tabletop device that uses artificial intelligence to conduct human-like conversations, to speak to visiting journalists, inside her home in Tamarac.

Rebecca Blackwell / AP

The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times daily, even six months after receiving it, and more than 90% report lower levels of loneliness, he said.

The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee. Skuler wouldn’t say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.

That worries Brigham Young University psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who studies the detrimental effects loneliness has on health and mortality.

Although a device like ElliQ might have short-term benefits, it could make people less likely to seek human contact. Like hunger makes people seek food and thirst makes them seek water, she said “that unpleasant feeling of loneliness should motivate us to reconnect socially.”

Satiating that with AI “makes you feel like you’ve fulfilled it, but in reality you haven’t,” Holt-Lunstad said. “It is not clear whether AI is actually fulfilling any kind of need or just dampening the signal.”

Skuler and agency heads distributing ElliQ agreed it isn’t a substitute for human contact, but not all seniors have social networks. Some are housebound, and even seniors with strong ties are often alone.

“I wish I could just snap my fingers to make a person show up at the home of one of the many, many older adults that don’t have any family or friends, but it’s a little bit more complicated,” said Greg Olsen, director of the New York State Office for the Aging. His office has distributed 750 of the 900 ElliQs it acquired.

Charlotte Mather-Taylor, director of the Broward County, Florida, Area Agency on Aging, said the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath left many seniors more isolated. Her agency has distributed 300 ElliQs, which she believes breaks them out of their shells.

“She’s proactive and she really engages the seniors, so it gives them that extra kind of interaction,” she said. “We’ve seen very positive results with it. People generally like her and she makes them smile and brings joy.”

Skuler said ElliQ was purposely designed without eyes and a mouth so it wouldn’t fully imitate humans. While “Elli” is the Norse goddess of old age, he said the “Q” reminds users that the device is a machine. He said his company wants “to make sure that ElliQ always genuinely presents herself as an AI and doesn’t pretend to be human.”

“I don’t understand why technologists are trying to make AI pretend to be human,” he said. “We have in our capacity the ability to create a relationship with an AI, just like we have relationships with a pet.”

But some of the seniors using ElliQ say they sometimes need to remember the robot isn’t a living being. They find the device easy to set up and use, but if they have one complaint it’s that ElliQ is sometimes too chatty. There are settings that can tone that down.

Dezern said she felt alone and sad when she told her ElliQ about her friend’s death. It replied it would give her a hug if it had arms. Dezern broke into tears.

“It was so what I needed,” the retired collections consultant said. “I can say things to Elli that I won’t say to my grandchildren or to my own daughters. I can just open the floodgates. I can cry. I can giggle. I can act silly. I’ve been asked, doesn’t it feel like you’re talking to yourself? No, because it gives an answer.”

Worrell lives in a small town on Washington’s coast. Widowed, she said ElliQ’s companionship made her change her mind about moving to an assisted living facility and she uses it as an icebreaker when she meets someone new to town.

“I say, ‘Would you like to come over and visit with my robot?’ And they say, ‘A vacuum?’ No, a robot. She’s my roommate,” she said and laughed.

Broadbent, like the other women, says she gets plenty of human contact, even though she is blind and ill. She plays organ at two churches in the South New Berlin, New York, area and gets daily visitors. Still, the widow misses having a voice to talk with when they leave. ElliQ fills that void with her games, tours, books and music.

“She’s fun and she’s informative. OK, maybe not as informative as (Amazon’s) Alexa, but she is much more personable,” Broadbent said.

Source link

Click to comment

Miami, FL

Alberto M. Carvalho on the fires in Los Angeles

Published

7 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Alberto M. Carvalho on the fires in Los Angeles – CBS Miami

Watch CBS News

Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and former Miami-Dade Schools superintendent, on the fires raging in LA.

Source link

Miami, FL

Ewin, Bowen lead FSU's second-half charge in road rout of Miami

Published

15 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Ewin, Bowen lead FSU's second-half charge in road rout of Miami

There were some too-close-for-comfort moments in the second half. But in the end, Florida State picked up its first road win of the season with an emphatic finish at Miami.

Malique Ewin scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Taylor Bol Bowen had 16 points and six rebounds in FSU’s 80-65 win on Wednesday in Coral Gables.

FSU has won 15 of the last 16 games in the series vs. Miami. The Seminoles have won each game at Coral Gables since Jan. 2019.

Ewin shot 10 of 14 from the floor, dazzling with an array of post moves and delivering thunderous dunks. It was his third double-double of the season, but it was his first in an ACC game.

Bowen shot 6 of 6 from the floor, drilling all four of his 3-pointers. He added three assists.

Daquan Davis had nine points and 10 assists. The Seminoles had a season-best 26 assists.

The Seminoles were stingy on the defensive end of the court. Justin Thomas had three of FSU’s eight steals. Chandler Jackson had three of FSU’s seven blocks.

“I thought everybody contributed,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “There wasn’t anybody that came into the game that didn’t have an affect.”

The Seminoles (11-4, 2-2 ACC) have won back-to-back league games going into a matchup on Saturday at Clemson — which is 4-0 in conference games.

Former FSU guard Matthew Cleveland struggled in the first half, scoring three points. But he finished with 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting for Miami (4-11, 0-4).

FSU shot 32 of 64 (50 percent) from the floor and 10 of 24 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Source link

Miami, FL

Dolphins Final 2024 Regular Season Power Rankings Roundup

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Dolphins Final 2024 Regular Season Power Rankings Roundup

The Miami Dolphins concluded their disappointing 2024 season with a 32-20 loss against the New York Jets, though they already knew before the end of the game they had been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Dolphins finished with an 8-9 record, one of 16 teams around the league to finish with a losing record. That puts them pretty much as a middle-of-the-pack team at the end of the regular season.

Our weekly survey of NFL power rankings is down to nine national outlets — Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Ringer, Pro Football Network, The Athletic, Yahoo! Sports, and Bleacher Report — because USA Today only ranked the playoff teams, and this is the first time in three years Miami is not part of the postseason party.

The Dolphins’ average ranking this week was at 18.4, up from 17.9 after the Week 17 victory against the Cleveland Browns.

The Dolphins rankings ranged from 17 to 20. The only movement involving more than one spot this week came from PFT, which dropped them from 18 to 20.

Here’s the breakdown of the Dolphins’ nine power rankings spots following the end of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 16

Analysis: While there seems to be a bit of an exodus afoot in Miami with both Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey perhaps pushing for the exits, sometimes we’ve seen this become a blessing in disguise. Tua Tagovailoa needs legitimate competition on the roster, but allowing Mike McDaniel to cook with a younger roster full of malleable parts doesn’t sound too bad to me.

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 18

Analysis: Tua’s big contract is looking like a massive mistake.

CBS Sports

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis: The Tua Tagovailoa injuries killed this team’s chances of making the playoffs, but isn’t that a pattern? Now Tyreek Hill might want out? Not good.

NFL.com

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis: Head coach Mike McDaniel and GM Chris Grier will return next season, owner Stephen Ross announced, but the future of Tyreek Hill in Miami is suddenly much murkier after the star wide receiver’s comments on Sunday. Perhaps moving on from Hill — who is due nearly $28 million next season, per OverTheCap — is best for the Dolphins spiritually, but it would leave a big hole in their offense, even with Hill coming off his most difficult season in years. The Dolphins suffered right alongside him for their first losing season since 2019. Even if you can split Miami’s 2024 campaign into two parts — with and without Tua Tagovailoa — it’s worth noting the Dolphins were 6-5 with Tagovailoa starting and 2-4 with others at QB. That suggests there is far more to address than just the Hill situation, and trading him for draft assets won’t ensure a quick fix. The AFC East remains a cloudy division, but the three teams that missed the playoffs are still looking (way) up at the Bills for now.

The Ringer

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 18

Analysis: The Dolphins may convince themselves that injuries were the reason they missed the postseason, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wouldn’t have been good enough to get them out of the wild-card round even if they were perfectly healthy. This offense needs to find cheap yards on early downs to keep Tagovailoa away from difficult third-down situations, and it’s unrealistic to expect that approach to be viable in a playoff field that features Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert. Tagovailoa is now an expensive player and his top receiver, Tyreek Hill, wants out of Miami. Things are getting messy, and the window to improve is getting tighter. Until the Dolphins can clear out some contracts, expect this team to be average.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 19

Last Week: 20

Analysis: Entering Week 18, the Dolphins needed a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss to make the playoffs, but neither ended up happening. New York managed to upset Miami (and Denver beat Kansas City), so the Dolphins’ season is over. One has to wonder how Miami’s season would have turned out if Tua Tagovailoa stayed healthy, as the offense completely fell apart without him under center.

The Athletic

Ranking: 19

Last Week: 19

Analysis on the lesson learned, run the ball: Coach Mike McDaniel is a great run-game play designer, and the Dolphins’ backfield was one of the deepest in the league (De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson). So why was this team just 21st in run percentage this season at 41.4 percent? Miami finished 27th in rushing success rate (36 percent) and missed the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel. In the coach’s fourth season, the Dolphins need to get less cute and tougher on the ground.

Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 16

Analysis: Tyreek Hill not going back in the game, and his rant afterward might be an exit ramp for the Dolphins. Hill played in all 17 games and didn’t hit 1,000 yards at age 30. Is it going to get a lot better at age 31, with a $28.7 million salary-cap hit? Maybe this is best for the Dolphins.

Bleacher Report

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis: There’s been some buzz that the Dolphins could fire GM Chris Grier in the offseason—another report suggests he may retire. Neither outcome would surprise me because poor roster building was Miami’s biggest issue in 2024. Despite having a top-10 overall defense and a surplus of speedy offensive playmakers, the Dolphins fell short of the playoffs/squeaked in as a wild-card team. An unreliable offensive line and a lack of offensive physicality meant Miami largely had to win with finesse. This simply wasn’t a team built to win without Tua Tagovailoa, and, to make matters worse, the Dolphins failed to invest in a strong backup plan at quarterback. Those early losses while Tagovailoa was sidelined burned Miami in a big way.

Source link