SYMPARTNER

The aim of SYMPARTNER ( SYMbiose of PAUL and RoboTer CompaNion for Emotion-Sensitive support) is the innovative symbiosis of two complementary approaches to supporting older people in their home environment - the smart home assistance system PAUL (Personal Assistant for Supported Living) developed by the company CIBEK and already used in practice, and the mobile social companion robot SCITOS developed by the company MetraLabs in cooperation with the TU Ilmenau. The combination of both approaches enables an expansion of the respective range of functions and services and combines the advantages of both systems in a unique way: PAUL provides a wide range of functions, from information to home control to communication, but still does this largely in a virtual, rather technical way (classic user interfaces, avatars). The social assistance robot SCITOS, on the other hand, already has possibilities for emotional-social communication with people, but so far only a few concrete functional offers relevant to everyday life. The combination of both advantages opens up completely new, innovative possibilities for technology-mediated service design for older people, which focuses particularly on increasing well-being and quality of life through technology-mediated, positive experiences or an emphasis on the emotional component of human-technology interaction.

A key unique selling point of the planned integrated PAUL robot system is that, unlike purely tablet-, TV- or PC-based solutions, it can move independently in the home and become active in relation to the user himself. SYMPARTNER is not virtual, but an embodied technical being with its own behaviour, body language and facial expressions. Through its mobility and its body, forms of interaction, behaviours and emotionally influenced interaction experiences can be realised that would not be possible with stationary PC or tablet solutions. Conversely, the integration of the PAUL smart home assistance system into the robotic platform allows the enrichment of the previously rather sparse robotic functionalities through the services and service mediation that are available in the PAUL system. This makes robotic assistants suitable for everyday use more quickly and makes them attractive to users as systems that relieve the burden of everyday life and are ready to provide support.