Before we dive into today’s show, just a trigger warning - this episode contains some themes of sexual abuse in aged care settings so please keep this in mind before listening.
On today’s show we chat to Grace Brown, a robotics engineer and founder of Andromeda - an AI startup on a mission to revolutionise human-robot interactions.
Grace, who is only 23, has been spending the last 18 months building Abi. Abi is a human-like, 120cm-tall robot, who is being built to provide social and mental support to vulnerable individuals, starting with the elderly and disability demographics.
Abi can give hugs on demand, make eye contact, and build actual relationships with people. She’s already being used as a companion in aged-care settings, and is helping people maintain their independence, learn, as well as socialise.
While aged care is the initial target, Grace says Abi has incredible potential to provide an alternative way to connect, especially for young people.
Early on in the journey, she said, quote: "We've got parents of teenagers with disabilities who are saying that even with just the prototype, they are taken aback by the impact it has for that non-verbal social connection.”
If all goes to plan, in the next 20 years, Abi will be a fixture in 5% of households - as common as the trusty robot vacuum cleaner.
Listen in as we pass the mic over to Grace, who can tell us a LOT more about this, and learn about what a humanoid robot companion is, could be, and will be.
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Grace is currently reading:
Build - The Smile that Wins: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz.
In this episode, we chat about wanting to learn to read books faster, and reference this blog post by Tim Ferris as a way to get started: Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes
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Find Adromeda on Instagram, LinkedIn, and find Grace on YouTube
Learn more about Andromeda and Abi the robot: https://dromeda.com.au/
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Wanting more?
Find us on TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn as @cleverwomenco
Ask a question or pitch to come on the show by heading to our website: clevermediaco.com
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Thank you SO much for listening, we can’t wait to be in your ears again next week!
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You’re listening to a Clever Media production. Clever Media acknowledges the traditional owners of the land and waters that this podcast is recorded on. We pay our deepest respects to elders past, present and emerging.
Sound Credit: Engines Ready by Yarin Primak