Kawasaki Heavy Unveils Dog-Shaped Robot for Elderly

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. has unveiled a prototype of a dog-shaped social robot that helps elderly people's life at home.

Leveraging physical artificial intelligence, the robot, Home Leo, can talk to people, recognize its surroundings, make appropriate decisions according to the situation and act autonomously, according to the Japanese company.

Home Leo was shown at a business briefing the company held in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The robot will stay close to elderly people it lives with, offering companionship through conversation, watching them over and assisting with their daily activities, Kawasaki Heavy said.

By continuously collecting data on users' personal preferences and daily life, including food, clothing and housing, Home Leo will be able to have conversations that suit respective users, the firm said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]