Robotic Tai Chi

Christchurch-based gaming company Stickmen Studios and researchers at the University of Auckland have teamed up to customise a robot that will help elderly people stay active through interactive games. The robot is called Eldercare and it has been created with South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute. The aim of the robot is to reduce the strain on healthcare resources as the ageing population grows and improve the lives of people who are dependent on care. David Cotter of UniServices, a division of Auckland University that commercialises its research, said the robot could also monitor a person’s blood pressure or insulin levels and then transmit the data to a centre using wireless connections where a nurse or doctor can access it. “The games we could put on the Eldercare could help elderly people do movement such as tai chi,” Cotter said.