Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Gugu age-friendly AI robot

Gugu is an AI robot for new elderly, offering smart home care with voice chat, screen projection, Alzheimer's prevention games and more.

  • Gugu Main View.

  • Gugu: How to use.

  • Gugu: Pruduct Design.

  • Gugu: Design Details.

  • Gugu: UI Design.

What it does

Gugu is an AI robot for "new elderly" in smart home care, tackling Alzheimer's, social adaptation, retirement issues, and medication forgetfulness. It has games to slow Alzheimer's, AI voice, check-ins, reminders. Voice-first, easy. Kids check health via app.


Your inspiration

The aging society and challenges faced by the "new elderly" inspired me. With growing aging, issues like Alzheimer's, social adaptation problems, and forgotten medication trouble them. Over 82% prefer smart home care, and 72% are willing to try game-based cognitive training. These led to Gugu, using games, AI voice, etc., to address these issues.


How it works

Gugu is easy to use. First, connect it to power and pair it with a phone to activate. Its main operation relies on voice commands, so the elderly don't need to deal with complicated buttons or menus. It has a projection module that can display game interfaces on walls, and a camera to recognize movements during games. The AI voice module allows it to chat with the elderly, answer questions, and send out medication reminders at set times. There are memory and cognitive training games like color matching and pyramid rebuilding. Playing these games regularly can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's. Children can also check the elderly's health data through a mobile app.


Design process

The design of Gugu started with researching aging issues and "new elderly" needs. User studies (15 interviews, 200 surveys) showed elders struggled with complex devices but liked game-based training. Initial concepts focused on solving key problems: games for Alzheimer's, AI voice for social adaptation, task check-ins, and medication reminders. Over 50 sketches explored simple forms. Prototypes integrated projection, camera, AI voice, and sensors. Early versions had complex interfaces, so voice-first interaction was adopted. Game difficulty and interface style were adjusted for ease. Feedback led to adding a age-friendly health app, optimizing projection and sound. The final design balances functionality and usability for elders.


How it is different

Gugu stands out by integrating Alzheimer's prevention through game-based training with comprehensive elderly care functions. Unlike common smart devices, it prioritizes voice-first interaction to lower operation barriers for seniors. It also connects families via a mobile app, letting children monitor health data, combining health management, social assistance, and family care in one, making it more holistic for the "new elderly" group.


Future plans

Looking ahead, we plan to enrich the game types in Gugu, adding more diverse cognitive training games suitable for different stages of cognitive decline. We also aim to enhance the accuracy of health data monitoring by upgrading sensors, enabling more comprehensive tracking of the elderly's physical conditions. Additionally, we hope to collaborate with medical institutions to verify the effectiveness of the game system in delaying Alzheimer's progression through clinical trials, and then promote it to more elderly care institutions and families to benefit more elderly people.


Awards

New Zealand Best Designer Award 2024 Excellent Works CUIDC 2024 Third Prize


End of main content. Return to top of main content.

Select your location