'Robot Coach' Teaches Senior Citizens Exercises

Three electrical engineering students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic are helping senior citizens stay active. Members at Lions Befrienders Senior Activity Centre at Mei Ling Street no longer have to wait for their scheduled workout regimen, thanks to the development of the new robot, named Xuan.

He's featured with a tablet and an animated face on top of a plastic structure, with necks, arms and wrists that all fully mimic human movements, according to The Straits Times. To add to that, Juan can help teach various exercises to the group of 40 at the centre, helping them stay current with their physical fitness routines. The robot can even give instructions on 15 simple arm exercises, with an emphasis on flexibility and circulation.

As robots advance from science fiction and into the reality of everyday life, many scientists see this form of technology stepping into the regular office. Yet pevious studies have examined if the human race is, indeed, ready for this type of technological future. Could robots in the office or our favorite regular public places destroy the autonomy of the real world? 

Previous findings conducted by researchers at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) tested this idea, looking to find out what the average employee might think if a humanoid took over a task in the office. Findings showed that most didn't really seem to care or feel threatened.

Many countries also show that robots are taking over manufacturing jobs, particularly in places such as South Korea where 287 robots could be found for every 100,000 employees back in 2010. Developing countries like China, Thailand and Brazil saw big gains in robotic density. More should follow in the future.

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