Meet Temi, Nuka and Nao - the social care robots for the elderly show off their skills in Malaga

Cristina Pinto

Malaga

Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 17:07

They are called Temi, Nuka, Nao, Gobe, James, Morphia, G-1, Evondos and Zenbo and are here to revolutionise and improve the quality of life of elderly and dependent people. They are robots and are capable of making video calls with relatives, acting as physiotherapists, remembering when medication must be taken and dispensing it, tracking medical appointments and even having some specific exchanges of conversation with their human patients. They have just been presenting some of their skills in Malaga, at the international conference on technological and social innovation in home care, which was held this Monday and Tuesday at the faculty of social and labour studies of the University of Malaga (UMA).

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These robots, which are on their third stage of development, are in operation in 17 homes so that researchers can learn first-hand about the usefulness of these technologies and assess advances in robotics and home automation. They have also just arrived at the Vitalia Teatinos residential centre to contribute to improving the daily lives of those at the centre. The initiative, under the name Vivir en Casa (Living at Home), has been developed by a team of professionals from the UMA and financed with 2.3 million euros from the Junta through the EU's Next Generation funds and the Junta regional government's own plan for recovery and transformation.

It is hoped that they will soon be available to all elderly and dependent people who require the services of such robots. However, before collating all the results and extrapolating them to the rest of the region, 'Vivir en Casa' has taken centre stage at this international conference to make its official presentation and demonstration of this technology. For some of the robots it was their debut in Andalucía, as was the case for G-1. "With them we are putting some soul into technology and emotional intelligence into artificial intelligence. These robots become members of the family and make life easier for the elderly, who want to spend as much time as possible at home, where their memories and life experiences are."

In the case of Temi, who hosted the event together with its human co-presenter, Celia Bermejo, it acts as a social assistant specialising in human interaction in that person's daily environment. Its software can be set for specific reminders, even spoken reminders about sleep, medication or nutrition, although its strongest point is communication, as it keeps people who live alone in touch with their relatives through calls or video calls. The Evondos robot is also used for reminders, but has an extra feature that includes the automatic dispensing of medication.

Physiotherapy at home comes in the form of the humanoid robot Nao, which is intended to play therapeutic games with patients with a 3D sensor and a bracelet to measure heart rate. In the form of a cuddly seal, Nuka has sensors to detect when and how it is being stroked and is used for dementia patients to enhance affective stimulation.

The opening ceremony of the conference, which is when the robots made their appearance, was attended by institutional representatives such as the mayor of Malaga: "The elderly have care needs and technology can help to provide it in a more complete way," said Francisco de la Torre. Also present was Antonia Ledesma, vice-president for citizenship with Malaga's provincial council (Diputación), who highlighted the need to innovate in the care of the elderly living in rural areas: "It is extremely important that the technological revolution reaches the smallest villages so that they have access to the same opportunities as the big cities."

The international conference ran for two days at the UMA with the participation of thousands of attendees, 50 speakers and more than 20 collaborating entities and companies, which had a stand area for the exhibition and display of their projects. The rector of the University of Malaga, Teodomiro López, also celebrated this event, which he defined as the "perfect combination of all the values of the university."