Robot Pepper can tell jokes, show sympathy, lean in towards the runner and change eye colour to express emotion.
Scientists have developed a robot personal trainer to coach runners through an exercise programme on the treadmill.
Humanoid robot Pepper can tell jokes, show sympathy, lean in towards the runner and change eye colour to express different emotions.
The support is personalised based on the gym-goer’s heart rate, speed, personality type, mood and fitness level.
Pepper gained its social intelligence by being trained by a human fitness instructor on how to be an encouraging coach.
It learned when to offer praise during a workout and the cues that can motivate a runner to improve performance.
The robot was developed as part of a study led by human-robot interaction experts from Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
As part of the research, 10 people participated in sessions with the robot in a gym at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
The group, aged between their 20s and 60s, attended three times per week for three months and were guided through the NHS Couch to 5K programme.
Human-robot interaction expert Katie Winkle said: “We wanted to test if we could transfer the intelligence of our fitness instructor, an expert with the know-how to get the best out of clients, into a robot so it could become an effective personal coach.
“We aimed to create an engaging motivational companion to get our runners through Couch to 5k, which is quite a long and drawn out exercise programme.”
Participants received guidance from two different versions of the robot.
The first was pre-programmed and gave standard instructions every 30 seconds based on the runner’s performance.
The second was a bespoke form of the robot that had been given input from a UWE Bristol fitness instructor.
Pepper observed the fitness instructor motivating runners and replicated his behaviours.
Results showed runners preferred engaging with the socially intelligent, human-like robot and performed better with it.
Miss Winkle said: “Understandably, they weren’t sure what to expect and when they started it was a bit of novelty.
“Some were energised by the robot and pushed themselves more than normal, and our fitness instructor was impressed with what the robot had learned to do.
“As time wore on, the participants began to treat the robot as a companion and the fitness instructor saw the robot as a colleague.
“This is really promising when we think about how robots might be used in the workplace in the future to work alongside humans.”
Researchers say the study was the first of its kind to feature significant participation from a human expert in a field.
The UWE fitness instructor was involved in designing Pepper’s actions, teaching it and then assisting with evaluation.
It is also rare for a research project to involve people interacting with a robot consistently over such a long time, the researchers say.
Dr Severin Lemaignan, senior research fellow at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, said: “Our work shows a robot could be really useful in the gym, especially for people who would perhaps feel embarrassed with a human personal trainer.
“It’s great to see the robot was considered a colleague by our gym coach: the robot helps provide better support to the gym clients; he doesn’t see it as a threat to his role.
“More widely, the study demonstrated the potential for robots to be useful and effective in the real world, with many potential applications.”
Bristol Robotics Laboratory is a collaborative partnership between UWE Bristol and the University of Bristol.
The robotic service agent enterprise, Beijing Yunji Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Yunji Technology") (02670) successfully listed on the Hong Kong stock market last month. Mr. Xie Yunpeng, the vice president of the company, said at the interview with Bastille Post that the company will increase its R&D investment in Hong Kong in the future, develop customized products that meet the requirements of the local and regional market as well as different scenarios, to accumulate core competitive advantages for its future overseas expansion.
Mr. Xie Yunpeng, the vice president of the company, said at the interview with Bastille Post that the company will increase its R&D investment in Hong Kong in the future, develop customized products that meet the requirements of the local and regional market as well as different scenarios. Photo by Bastille Post
According to Mr. Xie's introduction, Yunji Technology was established in 2014, focusing on the R&D, manufacturing, and operation of commercial service robots. Its main products cover three series: "UP", "GOGO", and "Run". Currently, the company has provided robot services for daily use to over 34,000 hotels and more than 150 large general hospitals worldwide. Meanwhile, it is also expanding the markets of industry, parks, and buildings, etc. According to the company's statistics, the number of robot services it provided reached 500 million last year.
Yunji Technology was established in 2014, focusing on the R&D, manufacturing, and operation of commercial service robots. Its main products cover three series: "UP", "GOGO", and "Run". Currently, the company has provided robot services for daily use to over 34,000 hotels and more than 150 large general hospitals worldwide. Meanwhile, it is also expanding the markets of industry, parks, and buildings, etc. Photo source: The prospectus of Yunji Technology
Mr. Xie pointed out that the company's listing on the Hong Kong stock market can be seen as a positive evaluation of its long-term industrial investment by the capital market, which is conducive to brand enhancement and international expansion. He believed that Hong Kong could successfully play the roles of "super connector" and "super value-adder" for mainland enterprises. Meanwhile, as Hong Kong accelerates its transformation into an international innovation and technology center, such a chance can provide opportunities for Yunji Technology to further develop.
Mr. Xie admitted that the company had faced practical challenges such as the complexity for its products to adapt to localization, differences in technical standards and regulations at home and abroad at the early stage of expansion. Considering Hong Kong as an international platform, the city can precisely become the "best testing ground" for market validation and product model optimization. Since last year, Yunji Technology has launched a series of strategic layouts in Hong Kong: settling in Cyberport and establishing its international business headquarters, jointly building the "PolyU-YUNJI Technology Hotel Digital Intelligence Joint Innovation Lab" with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and being listed in Hong Kong's key enterprises and officially on the Hong Kong stock market in October this year. He disclosed that in the future, the company will increase its investment in research and development in Hong Kong to develop customized products that meet the demands of local and regional markets.
Listing on the Hong Kong stock market is merely an initial success. Mr. Xie said that the company will increase its R&D investment in Hong Kong in the future, develop customized products that meet the requirements of the local and regional market, as well as different scenarios. Photo source: FB of the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau
During the process of entering the Hong Kong market, Mr. Xie admitted that he encountered a market environment different from that in the Mainland, but he optimistically regarded it as a unique business opportunity. He explained that the Hong Kong market has given rise to new demands in the delivery of disposable products: With the implementation of the "plastic-free" regulation, some guests who did not carry toiletries with them would need to purchase the articles temporarily after checking into their hotels, which led to the demand for using robots to conduct room delivery. Such a condition has provided the company with an opportunity to enter the hotel market and release customized product series.
At the end of October, Yunji Technology accompanied the business delegation led by the Financial Secretary, Mr. Paul Chan, on a visit to Saudi Arabia and signed strategic cooperation agreements with local enterprises. Mr. Xie believed that stepping into the international market is an inevitable choice for Mainland artificial intelligence enterprises. "Yunji Technology has achieved a high level of application maturity and customer satisfaction in the hotel scenario." He said. According to his observation of the current large-scale urban construction situation in Riyadh on the spot, the city has provided dedicated elevators and paths for robots, bringing about greater opportunities than the difficulties previously raised by the agent he had entrusted. In the future, Yunji Technology will continue to explore the localized demands of the Middle East market, deepen product research and development, and optimize product quality accordingly.
At the end of October, Yunji Technology (second from left) accompanied the business delegation led by the Financial Secretary, Mr. Paul Chan, on a visit to Saudi Arabia and signed strategic cooperation agreements with local enterprises. Photo source: Hong Kong Trade Development Council
When analyzing the differences among diverse application scenarios, Mr. Xie pointed out that, as a service space operating 24 hours a day, the hotel would be the ideal scenario for robots to verify their efficiency in the early stage. Up to now, the application value in such an aspect has been widely recognized by the market: robots have become the standard equipment for the opening of new branches of Mainland chain hotels. After fully mastering the features of the hotel scenario and releasing a mature overall solution, the company is now shifting this application system to other scenarios such as hospitals, factories, supermarkets, and buildings, etc.
Previously, Yunji Technology launched the first composite polymorphic robot "UP" in the industry, which features the multi-functionality of one machine and time division multiplexing. With a modular design, the robot can flexibly adapt to different scenarios and respond to the professional demands of various industries.
Mr. Xie emphasized that the cost-effectiveness and commercial feasibility would be the core elements of product design. In the future, the company will integrate both disembodied and embodied intelligence to enhance the content and quantity of individual customer service. He said that the robotics industry is a heavily invested sector with diverse R&D investments and huge educational market costs. After listing on the stock market, the company will use 60% of the raised funds for the investment in enhancing R&D capabilities, focusing on the integration of compound multimodal robots and AI agents, 30% for commercial expansion, bringing AI agents into human life, and transforming question-and-answer services into actions.
Mr. Xie pointed out that after listing on the stock market, the company will use 60% of the raised funds for the investment in enhancing R&D capabilities, focusing on the integration of compound multimodal robots and AI agents, 30% for commercial expansion, bringing AI agents into human life, and transforming question-and-answer services into actions. Photo source: Yunji Technology
Looking forward to the future development, Yunji Technology will continue to deeply explore the demands of different scenarios and increase the weight of R&D and operation. Besides, the company will reach strategic cooperation and practical solutions with other companies such as Meituan (03690) and Luxshare Precision Industry Co., LTD. (002475). At the same time, the company is also committed to realizing the collaboration with multi-field partners in hospital and overseas scenarios.
Mr. Xie believed that the usage of robots would become a future trend as a part of human production and life. The technology prospect is developing into a deep integration of embodied and disembodied intelligence, which allows everyone to have a dedicated mechanical assistant.
