New Robot Is Weight-Loss Coach

Autom is a conversational robot with a mission: to help you diet and exercise every day for better health. Created by Intuitive Automata, it is an early try at the commercial application of socially interactive robotics for health care.

"Autom has a short conversation with you every day to help you keep track of your eating and exercise quickly and simply. She provides feedback, advice, and encouragement to keep you motivated," explains Intuitive Automata, the company that makes the robot.

"No two conversations with Autom are alike," according to the company. "She is constantly adapting to you to better understand what will help you stick with your diet and exercise program. A randomized, controlled medical study showed that individuals using Autom to help keep with their diet were much more successful than those who used more traditional methods, like a paper log or a computer program." [See a video of Autom]

This is an area of personal robotics that seems to be expanding. Take a look at the Bandit Robot Personal Trainer , which encourages you to follow its lead. And of course the Taizo Robot Exercise Instructor , created to help Japan's aging population stay in shape.

Manga and anime fans have been given a privileged view of this future. In the 2001 series Chobits, Sumomo is a "mobile persocom", essentially an animated laptop computer in human form. She leads Hideki in wakeup exercises every morning and dances in standby mode.

This Science Fiction in the News story used with permission of Technovelgy.com.