Vietnamese-American doctor creates robot to help the elderly across the US

Thuc Vu said that he saw early on that consumer robots would be the new wave of technology in the near future.

Vietnamese-American Stanford PhD - Thuc Vu.

Welcoming a robot into her home in her old age was something Maxine Duncan never expected. But this winter, she and her husband, Herbert Yarbrough, got to experience the robotic helper at their neighborhood retirement community, Heritage Downtown, in Walnut Creek, California.

The Duncans’ new friend will have a computer screen for a head and will move around on wheels. The benefit of having the robot is that the Duncans will be able to connect more easily with their family members via video calls.

“It’s a very catchy name,” said Duncan, 86, a former real estate agent. Yarrbrought, now 89, was guiding the robot into the elevator to take breakfast downstairs.

“We want to be exposed to new technologies,” said Duncun. “A lot of older people are isolated from people and new ideas. Now that’s changing.”

Mr. and Mrs. Duncun were now thoroughly pleased with their new friend and they named him Jimmy.

The idea of ​​a Vietnamese Stanford PhD

These changes are largely thanks to Thuc Vu - co-founder of OhmniLabs - the inventor of the Ohmni robot that Mr. and Mrs. Duncan own.

It is worth mentioning that Thuc Vu is a Vietnamese man who received a PhD in computer science from Stanford University when he was only 28 years old. Thuc Vu himself is no stranger to the Vietnamese startup community because he has participated in building 7 technology companies, including names such as Umbala (video messaging application), Tappy (social network providing information and locations) and Knightscope (robot manufacturer in the US).

Speaking to the New York Times, Thuc Vu said he saw consumer robots as the next big wave of technology. “There’s a large elderly population that’s isolated and lonely. And the nursing workforce is dwindling.”

The OhmniLabs robot is designed to be easy to use and requires only a very basic understanding of technology. It connects to wifi and is controlled by remote control. In the future, the company plans to train the robot to pick up some items. “In five years, it will be able to do laundry and mop the floor,” Thuc Vu said.

This year, OhmniLabs robots will be offered by a consumer health company called Home Care Assistance to senior and retirement communities. The annual cost of the robots is about 20 percent cheaper than hiring a caregiver, according to Lily Sarafan, CEO of Home Care Assistance.

“In the next 5-7 years, the trend of hiring caregivers will change. And automated homes will become the main trend,” Sarafan affirmed.

lucrative market

People like Duncan are at the forefront of experimenting with new technologies that some experts say will radically change some notions of retirement.

Some simple tools to help seniors are already mass-market products, like Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa. Other innovations, like virtual reality and robotics, are still in their early stages but could soon provide better care for retirees.

Evaluating Thuc Vu's OhmniLabs robot, Mr. Joseph Coughlin, director of AgeLab Company at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, USA, said: "This tool especially helps improve the spiritual life of adults, suitable for both young and old people."

According to Young Knowledge