Seli:
the loving robot for the elderly
Seli is a small social care robot for elderly people living alone. Her goal is to help them feel safe, cared for and loved.
Among other functions, Seli is able to engage in small conversations, solve doubts, play music or simply show emotions by feeling
embraced through noises, vibrations and movements.
In order to evoke feelings of affection and love, Seli seeks to have a soft, round, and fluffy appearance. This is achieved,
among other things, by its experior coat of hair, also incorporated after a very positive study on Animal Assisted Therapies (AAT).
In addition, it seeks to evoke a feeling of nostalgia by resembling the characteristic robots of the past.
Its features make it a robot specialized in the mental health of the user, but it also carries out activities that seek their
safety and the tranquility of the elderly and their loved ones. For this reason, Seli comes with a bracelet that helps to keep the user
always in touch with the system, detecting possible falls or problems; and being able to notify the emergency services or family members
in such cases.
Process and tools
The aim of the project was to develop a device to assist the elderly for the Spanish company Grupo ADD. Under this pretext, the brand’s
robots, and other experimental robots used in nursing homes in recent years, were studied. It was interesting to see that users ended up
getting fond of the little androids, kissing them and carrying them in their arms, as if they were their pets.
This observation led to the idea of developing a robot that is soft and fluffy like a stuffed animal, but also develops some other functions
that make life easier for its users and their loved ones.
Investigation
To begin with, studies of loneliness in the elderly and AAT were carried out, proving that the initial ideas were correct. Then we studied the competition, both of care robots and of those that look sweet and soft. Finally, personal interviews were conducted to better understand the needs of the users.
Ideation
Keeping in mind the requirements of the robot, the ideation phase began. Numerous sketches were made, as well as a 3D prototype to roll play. The selected design tried to get to the user's hearts through shapes that bring out the nostalgia feeling, in addition neutral colors were chosen to adapt the robot to the age of its clients.
Rendering
Eventually, the final result had to be shown in a realistic way that appealed to the feelings of the audience. Renders were created to show their different views and expressions, as well as photorealistic edits and animations to be able to visually explain some of the functions of the product.
